The Curry of Love
by Princess Tyler Briefs
Summary: A collection of stories based around Team Guy and its members. General fluff as well as NejiTen, LeeHina, and a variety of other things. Also featuring lots of Guy/TenTen father/daughter fluff!
1. GuyTen: Love At First Sight

**A/N:** I just love Team Guy so much that I figured I could use a place to stick the one shots I'm bound to write for them. I have about six already started, floating around on my hard drive. The title? An in joke, more than anything, but I hope you all enjoy it.

I have a nice rant about why I spell it Guy not Gai, if anyone really wants to hear it. If not…leave it alone.

**Disclaimer:** I'm just playing with them, pay no attention to me.

**Summary:** A collection of stories based around Team Guy and its members. General fluff as well as NejiTen, LeeHina, and a variety of other things. First up- Some GuyTen father/daughter fluff.

_**The Curry of Love  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 1: Love at First Sight_

At eighteen and already almost a Jounin, Might Guy was ready, willing, and able to do missions. Which worked out perfectly when there were some for him to do, but since he'd completed his last one three whole days ahead of schedule—a new record!—no one was prepared to give him a new one right away. He'd just have to sit and wait until something could be found. And, seeing as how missions were always slower in the winter time, he could be stuck in Konoha for a while.

Above all, Guy hated to wait. Nothing changed when you sat around and hoped for something to happen. He wanted action. He wanted the chance to prove he was worthy to be called the rival of Hatake Kakashi. He wanted to be out there doing good! Instead he was going to be stuck here long enough that he would actually have to go grocery shopping.

It was an activity which he loathed, because it meant he was stuck here for too long to live off take out. It was a miserable feeling in deed. He didn't want to stay here, particularly this close to Christmas time. He loved the holiday itself, and the atmosphere it gave everything, but…it wasn't like there was anything to keep him here in Konoha when he could get that atmosphere where ever he was.

He was so lost in making plans for how to keep himself entertained while he waited for the next chance to use his talents that he didn't notice the small figure approaching him until he felt someone reaching into his weapon's pouch.

Instinct took over then and he whirled, dropping his groceries, to grab hold of the offending hand in an iron grip, other fist already cocked to punch whoever was trying something from him. He froze, grip instantly loosening as his eyes caught up with his body. He wasn't facing an enemy ninja trying to attack him, or even Kakashi trying to incite their next challenge. He was facing a small child who was flinching away from his still raised fist, his wallet clutched in her hand.

She was tiny, he would have said no more than five-years-old, if even that, and so dirty he wasn't sure whether the short hair on her head was naturally brown or not. Her clothes were faded, torn, and obviously too small, leaving her bare hands and feet exposed to the bitter cold. The skin of her arm under his hand was like ice!

This was too much for the young chuunin, and Guy lowered his fist as he dropped down in front of the little girl. "It's all right; I'm not going to hurt you."

A pair of large brown eyes opened, and from this distance he could see the bruising on the little girl's face. It clenched his heart to look at this pitiful child, wondering what had happened to her. "Hello, little one. What's your name?"

She shivered as the cold December breeze bit through her threadbare clothing, but she looked steadily up at him, fearless now that his fist had been lowered. "My name is TenTen," she said through chattering teeth.

Guy was impressed that her lips weren't blue yet. Was she an orphan or something? Someone should have been watching her, not letting her run around in cold like this.

He frowned and followed those brown eyes to where they were gazing longingly over his shoulder at the groceries he'd dropped. Oh. "Are you hungry, TenTen?"

She nodded and Guy released her. He quickly gathered the few items that had spilt, putting them back in the bags and scooping them with one arm. He then turned around and offered his arm to the child still standing there. "Why don't you come with me, and we'll find you something to eat."

Either no one had bothered to warn her about the dangers of going home with strange men, or else she could sense he meant her no harm, but in either case she held up small arms to him, and Guy picked her up with his free arm, tucking her as much inside his vest as he could. It felt like someone has strapped a large ice cube to his chest, and he shivered in sympathy before hurrying to his apartment at a much faster pace than he had been traveling before.

It was only a small two bedroom apartment, paid for with the money his parents had left to him when they had died eight years before, but he called it home. And right now, it was big enough and warm enough for both of them. Guy kicked off his sandals, setting the groceries on the counter before walking into his room and digging through his drawers. People always insisted on giving him clothing, like he couldn't shop for himself, so he had plenty of shirts and things that he had never worn. They would pretty much drown the girl, but for now it would have to do.

A soft blue shirt now in hand, Guy headed toward the bathroom and set her down on the floor, handing her the shirt. "You okay to wash up by yourself?"

She nodded her small head, which he gently patted before showing her how to turn off the water when she was done and turning it on to an okay temperature for her. Once satisfied that she was settled, he turned, heading back to the kitchen to whip up something to eat. He wasn't a particularly good cook, but he refused to use pre-packaged meals and he managed alright. By the time he heard the water turn off, he'd managed to make some miso soup and had some rice on to cook.

The small face that peered at him from behind the bathroom door was heartbreaking, the short, wild dark hair and dark eyes making the marks on her pale skin stand out even more. It was obvious, even to him, that someone had deliberately hit this child.

He smiled, kneeling down again, hoping it did something to make his six foot frame a little less intimidating. "It's alright, TenTen-chan, come on out. Lunch is almost done."

Her tiny feet made almost no noise on the carpet as she walked forward, the hem of the shirt touching the ground, while the collar almost fell off her slim shoulders and the short sleeves all but covered her tiny hands. From this distance, it looked like she might be running a fever, which wouldn't surprise him. Tiny as she was, she probably didn't get much to eat, and it was so cold out…

With a gentle smile, Guy reached out and started rolling up her sleeves. "Where are your parents, TenTen-chan?"

"Home," she said simply, like that explained everything. He supposed that, in its own way, it did.

He put a hand on her forehead and found it warm, and he winced as her small body suddenly shook with coughing. Looks like he wouldn't have to worry about what he was going to do for the next little while after all. Scooping her up gently, noting but pretending not to how she flinched at his touch before relaxing into it, he set her down in a seat and dished her out some of the simple meal.

His heart wanted nothing more than to go to the Hokage and demand that he find this little girl a home where she could really be cared for. In cases of abuse, the Hokage had the power to order an investigation by the Uchiha clan and could remove the child if evidence was found of such atrocities.

But…Konoha's orphan system was already horribly overburdened from the Kyuubi attack only three years before, and it was likely Sandaime wouldn't remove her until someone actually wanted her. Because some place was better than having no place at all.

Watching her dig into her meal like it was the last one she'd ever have, Guy wished he could take her. She was so tiny and helpless, and his sense of justice demanded he take care of her. Except that he was gone so often, for so long, and who would look after her then? He was only eighteen-years-old, and he could really only claim Kakashi as the only person that might miss him if he died. He just didn't have the means to take on a child like that.

But that didn't mean he couldn't do something while he was here, right now. Once the meal was finished, he would tuck her in bed and make a quick run to the drug store for children's medicine and maybe some clothes and books as presents for her. He couldn't fix it all, but he could do a little, and he would.

Neither of them knew it, yet, but that day was the start of a family.


	2. Team Guy: Coconut Curry

**A/N:** There's a lot more going on here then our genius little narrator can see, but I hope you get it! The kids are about 12 here, probably about six months before the Chuunin exam.

_**Curry of Love  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 2: Coconut Curry_

Prior to joining up with his team, Neji's life had followed a fairly strict routine. Rise, morning practice, prepare for and attend the Academy, afternoon practice, homework, evening meal, bed. It was a simple and altogether boring life that he had loathed.

That was before he'd realized how pleasant it was to get up and know exactly what to expect in your day. To get up and know that what you planned to happen would and absolutely nothing else. One of those things that you appreciate too late, it seemed. Neji had certainly never missed it more than at this moment.

They weren't even on a mission. They were just practicing setting up tents silently and efficiently until Guy-sensei showed up to start their training. It shouldn't have been difficult, and not really taken much time at all.

Something had twisted, or maybe they just hadn't coordinated as well as he'd thought. Either way, he somehow ended up sandwiched between his two teammates, arms pinned by their bodies, while the three of them were hopelessly wrapped in canvas. He could barely even wiggle his fingers as he silently wondered how they'd gotten to this point.

He may have been able to figure it out, actually, had he been stuck with two people that were quiet enough to let him think. Put him in the same position with, say, Shino and Hinata and Neji would have had them out no problem. Fate didn't love him that much, though. Fate had stuck him with the loudest most hyper active teammates in the world, and it was impossible for them to stop wriggling long enough for him to find a solution, never mind keeping their mouths shut.

Since said mouths were also right by his ears, it was starting to make his ears ring.

TenTen was pinned against his left side, back to his shoulder, half-undone hair blowing in his face as she struggled against the tight material holding them firmly in place. "Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten us in to, Lee."

On the right side, twisted so he was facing Neji and the back of TenTen's head, Neji could see his green teammate pout. "This wasn't my fault. You said we didn't need instructions."

"We DIDN'T if you would have just listened to what I was telling you." She wriggled harder, jabbing Neji further onto Lee's elbow and he winced. A little oxygen might help his problem solving skills, thank you.

"I did listen! You told me wrong. You said go left, I went left." And Lee stuck his tongue at her childishly, even though TenTen couldn't see him.

Neji rolled his eyes, biting back a most undignified sigh. They were always like this when Guy-sensei wasn't around. If they weren't on a mission, they were fighting. It didn't matter what else was going on, the arguments wouldn't stop. Through training, eating, even bathing they'd yell at each other over the dividing wall.

Was it really too much to ask for a moment of peace? He had to deal with this every day for how many years exactly?

"You went left before I said go, I wasn't ready! And so fast, you circled all of us. Idiot, you can't just do anything half-way can you?"

Nothing about TenTen's tirade sounded even the littlest bit amusing to Neji, but at being called an idiot, Lee positively grinned. This was something he only did when TenTen called him that—Neji knew, as his own use of the name usually resulted in bellows of outrage—and was one of those things about his teammates the Hyuuga had resigned himself to never understanding.

With that grin on his face, Lee didn't sound nearly as annoyed as before. "Well, if TenTen would have just let us help her instead of insisting on doing two sides herself…"

There was a barely audible groan from Neji as TenTen sputtered in outrage. Lee had said the dreaded 'h' word. Even worse, he'd said it on purpose, just to push her buttons, because heaven help the fool that suggested to TenTen she ever needed help with anything. Particularly so if that fool was a man. Her hyper-sensitivity to even the slightest hint that a girl was less than a man was fascinating to Neji in the way a particularly nasty jutsu accident was. It scared you, but you couldn't look away.

And you never wanted to be in the middle of the accident, if you could avoid it.

"Just because I'm a girl, Rock Lee, doesn't mean I can't do my share of the work, and if you even think so…" TenTen's lecture, memorized by the boys by now, was mercifully cut short as her own wriggling to face Lee threw all three of them off balance. Neji hit the dirt mostly on his back, so TenTen was lying on her side and Lee was on top and crushing both of them. Definitely not Neji's favorite place to be.

"Now who's gotten us into another fine mess," Lee asked brightly, in that way he had that would make you think he didn't know exactly what he was doing if you didn't know him well. Neji knew better and, if the growl of fury was anything to go off of, so did TenTen.

"Well, if you would just hold still long enough for me to tell you..."

"If you could accept that you don't HAVE to do all these things yourself, I wouldn't have had to wait so long."

"Maybe you should be more patient."

"Maybe you should be less stubborn."

"Ha! Like you're one to talk! You wouldn't know the words give-up if Neji tattooed them on your butt."

Why would he WANT to seemed like a fair question at this point, as the Hyuuga managed to make only a small noise of disgust. He didn't want to get dragged in the middle of this. These two were crazy, loud, hot-tempered, stubborn, and all around a couple of the most aggravating ninja he'd ever met. Somewhere, Sandaime was laughing and saying how good this was for him, he was sure of it. That's what he'd told Neji when he'd demanded to know why he'd been place on a team with them. Lee he could understand, as the first and last were always put together, but why had Sandaime felt the need to throw the loudest and most hot-tempered kunoichi in with them?

"Because," Sandaime had told him, smiling broadly around his pipe, "they'll be good for you, Neji."

Yeah. Right. Add Guy-sensei to the pair and he was more inclined to think a room of angry main-branch members would be better for his health. The two fought over Guy's attention and approval like children over a favorite toy. Their constant competitions to out-do the other and gain a real genuine smile and praise for their work from the Jounin-sensei were almost revolting.

Although, he'd be happy if the man decided to show up right about now and free him from this ridiculous situation.

"It's not giving up, TenTen! It's different. We know you can do it, but it's not necessary."

"Well it isn't necessary you do it either, you know, when I'm just as capable."

"You don't get it."

"Neither do you. Which is why this is your fault! I'll bet you were running over to help me before I noticed, weren't you, you jerk?"

"It is not my fault! If you would just…"

"I won't JUST anything!"

If he thought they would have heard him, Neji would have yelled for them both to shut up right about now, but their yelling had approached a volume he couldn't compete with. Hyuugas just weren't made with voice boxes like that.

A pair of blue sandals attached too a familiar pair of orange leg warmers came into view, and it was all Neji could to sigh in relief. It was about time. Tilting his head back, Neji could see their sensei grinning broadly down at all three of them.

"It's seems my energetic students let their youthful enthusiasm get away from them again." And he laughed, bending down to help the trio to their feet once again. "What happened this time?"

Now came the part that really confused Neji. The piece of the puzzle he could stare at and ponder for hours and never find a place for. TenTen and Lee would argue like a couple of cats on a raft, right up until someone would care that they were blaming each other, and then…

TenTen hung her head, bangs falling over her dark eyes. "Sorry, it was my fault, Guy-sensei. I insisted we didn't need instructions, but it we'd used them all the proper pieces would have been in place."

"No, Guy-sensei, it's my fault." Rock Lee shook his head, making Neji's face twitch as unruly black hair tickled his nose and eyes. "I didn't listen properly, or follow the established directions. I'm sorry."

At which point Guy looked at him like he was waiting for Neji to say something, either to take some of the blame himself or confirm either story, Neji didn't know which. It really didn't matter, because he never said anything. He wasn't taking the blame for any of this mess. All he'd done was hold the pole he was told to, which was now somehow behind him and digging into his back.

Why they always did this, Neji didn't know. It was probably some other way of gaining Guy's approval, although why he'd approve of them taking blame for things that may not have actually been their fault, he didn't know either. All he really knew about this part of things was that Guy's stare always made him uncomfortable.

After what Guy must have deemed an appropriate amount of time, he moved to start untangling them. "For failure to work as a team, we shall do seventy-five team work laps around the village before regular training begins."

At this, Neji groaned. Teamwork laps involved one team member to be blind folded and run as fast as they could, having to trust their partner to keep up and have the reaction time to direct them until they reached the opposite side of the village, where you would switch and run down the opposite side. It was always Lee and TenTen as one pair, him and Guy as the other.

"Yes, Guy-sensei," the other two smiled, like running those things was their favorite thing in the world, and Neji could only shrug. What else was he supposed to do when his teammates were certifiably loony?


	3. GuyTen: Chitoseame

**A/N:** And more curry stories! I was going to run off and do some LeeHina stuff, but I wanted more cute TenTen and Guy stuff. So…LeeHina will come, I promise. Just…not yet. What is that TenTen is calling him? It translates well into Uncle, since he's sort of an uncle/father figure to her at this point.

Shichi-Go-San is an actual festival, and you should look it up. Has lots of fun pictures. Chitose-ame is the 'thousand year's candy' parents traditionally buy their kids at the festival, which is essentially a long red and white stick in a bag with a turtle and a crane on it. I recommend looking it up for a better explanation.

_**Curry of Love  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 3: Chitose-ame_

It had been a struggle to get home in time, but Guy was determined. This day was too important to let something like a small injury to his leg mess it up. He'd fought his way home at the same speed, got himself bandaged up, and was now doing his best to prepare one small girl for the biggest day of her life so far.

The kimono TenTen was dressed in was one he'd purchased on his latest mission to deliver a scroll to Kumogakure, and carried back in the bottom of his pack like a treasure. It had been a good portion of his savings, but to the twenty-year-old Jounin and the little girl he was swiftly coming to think of as a daughter, it was worth it.

It was blue and purple, made of a light cloth, with a pattern of peach blossoms and clouds, with long sleeves that nearly touched her toes were she stood on the stool Guy had put her on so he could do her hair properly, in the only style he knew how.

Guy laughed softly, parting her hair down the middle and gathering one side in his hand. It had been years ago when his female teammate had injured her arm, and had him help her do her hair in her characteristic two buns. Now her name was just another he visited on the stone since the Kyuubi attack, but he didn't want to dwell on such sad thoughts today. "Are you excited, TenTen-chan?"

She nodded, and he had to hang on tight to the small bundle of hair in his large hand. Her hair was barely long enough to tie up like this, but it would do.

"The kimono is so pretty, Ojisan," TenTen said happily, swinging her arms back and forth to generate the swishing sound she seemed so fond of making, and Guy laughed again, kissing the crown of her head once the first bun was secure.

"I'm glad you like it." He'd spent a good hour over agonizing which one to choose, finally dragging in Inochi Yamanaka to help him decide which one a seven-year-old girl would be happiest with. Then, once he'd returned home, Inochi had shown him how to correctly put a kimono on a small girl using his own five-year-old daughter, who'd been only too happy to oblige in the game.

It still pained him to come home to TenTen, and find the little girl with fresh cuts and bruises she didn't want to talk about, hungry and longing so desperately for his affection. Someday, he vowed to himself, he would get settled and protect her in the way she should be, and for now he had to content himself with buying her gifts when he was away, trying to make up for all the ways life had let her down in some small measure.

Like the new kimono and hair ribbons from Kumogakure, and the present from his most recent mission to Getsugakure. If any of his squad mates had questioned why he was purchasing it, none of them had asked. Discretion was one of the better qualities about being a ninja, one he did not always agree with but could respect and appreciate.

Maybe it wasn't right that he was taking someone else's child to a shrine to pray for her health and long life. Perhaps he should convince TenTen to finally show her where her home was so he could ask permission from the parents of her's he had never met.

But, when he was honest with himself, Guy had to admit he was afraid to meet them. Afraid of what he would do to the monsters that would hurt such a precious little girl. Afraid he just might kill them, consequences be damned, and not be sorry to have done so.

If they hadn't cared when she was dirty, starving, and lost in the streets of a strange city; if they didn't care to teach her to read or write, something Guy was working on between missions before he convinced Sarutobi-sama to start her at the Academy next year; if none of that mattered to them then they couldn't possibly complain about this. About someone else stepping up and filling in with what they should have been doing.

It took a great deal of self-control, and a sharp mental reminder that he was supposed to be the protector, but Guy managed not to clench his fists in fury as he thought about it and pull on TenTen's hair as he finished the last of it. The buns were a little bit messy, but with practice he was sure he could get it exactly right. TenTen seemed pleased with it, anyway, as she smiled broadly at him in the mirror, dark brown eyes lighting up with delight.

"I look so pretty, Ojisan!"

It was said with such honest astonishment and delight that Guy felt his heart break just a little more. "You always are, sweetheart." He lifted her up, ignoring the slight strain this put on his injury as he bent down to lift under her arms, and set her on the ground. "Ready to go?"

"Yes," was the cheerful reply, and she stuck out her hand to be held. She wasn't his daughter, so he didn't try and enforce many rules on her, but this was one of the handful he did. Any time they were out in public together, which was not, admittedly, all that often, TenTen needed to keep hold of his hand. Partly this was for the practical reason of keeping her from getting lost in the crowds of Konoha, but it was also for his own reassurance. She'd come into his life so suddenly, a small ray of sunshine, and he was afraid she would leave it just as quickly one day.

It was a constant fear of his—one that lingered in his head when he was between waking and dreaming no matter where he was—that he would one day return from a mission to find her parents had gone too far.

He curled his large hand around her tiny fingers, trying hard not to crush them in his firm grip as they walked out the door, an unlikely pair in their formal clothing. Their trip to the shrine was largely uneventful, except when Kakashi had caught his eye over the edge of his book.

His eternal rival's one eyed stare had asked many questions, and Guy could almost see him attempting to figure out how Guy could have a daughter old enough to be attending Shichi-go-san. He didn't care what conclusions Kakashi chose to draw at the moment, he would set the record straight later. He had more important things to worry about today.

TenTen's eyes had been wide as she'd laughed with delight, staring in wonder at all the things that had been set up, and the other children in their formal clothing. If she felt any sadness that it was 'Ojisan' and not her parents taking her, she didn't show it, and that much Guy could appreciate. It hadn't taken long for this little girl to completely steal his heart. He hoped he might have a small place in hers.

After the ceremony, Guy purchased her the Chitose-ame, in its little bag with a turtle and a crane TenTen exclaimed over in excitement, and they walked through the busy streets hand in hand again. She'd probably spend the night at his apartment again, as she tended to do when she was home. No one had ever said anything, and Guy didn't mind. The times he could spend with her were all too rare and, for even just a few days, it was nice to pretend they were a real family.

Swallowing back his heartbreak, Guy led them back inside before smiling down at the little girl, putting a hand on her head. "I have one more present for you, TenTen-chan."

She laughed; a sound almost too carefree for one he knew suffered so much. "Really? Another one? Ojisan makes me feel like a princess!"

"Close your eyes, then, TenTen-hime," Guy grinned, watching as she covered her eyes and assuring she wasn't peeking before limping his way down the hall and into his room. Carefully, he removed the toy from his pack, where it had been securely stuck between his supplies. Its little black eyes sparkled up at him, its mouth stitched into a permanent smile. With that new hairstyle, this little stuffed panda would be the perfect companion for his little girl. Making his way back down the hall, he held him out to her with a small grin. "Okay, open your eyes."

Tiny hands lowered to reveal large brown eyes, which first blinked and then widened in delight as she squeaked and grabbed hold of the bear. "He's so cute! Thank you, Ojisan!"

Guy smiled, crouching down to give her a hug in spite of the pain. "You're most welcome, TenTen-chan. He's to keep you company when I'm away."

Her eyes shone almost as bright as the bear's as she smiled at him. "He's perfect, Ojisan."

"What are you going to call him?"

With a look of concentration, she seemed to give the matter some serious thought before closing her eyes and grinning broadly. "I'm going to name him Panda!"

He couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up his chest, and he pulled her in for another hug.


	4. LeeHina: Sugar

**A/N:** These aren't meant to be read in any particular order, by the way. I just write them as they come to me as if they were one shots.

A little LeeHina to brighten up your existence, as a collab with my little sister. Hope you guys enjoy!

_**Curry of Love**  
Sugar_

"This is a disaster."

TenTen opened one eye to peer over at Neji, who'd sat down gracefully beside her. He looked…exhausted, which was weird, because Neji always looked in control, even when he was losing a battle. Besides the tired slump of his shoulders and frown on his face, there was a paper in his hand. That was the only thing she could see that might be the case of the change.

"Bad mission assignment of something?" She asked, sitting up from where she'd been lying in the shade, reading a scroll on the study of chain repair.

"No," the Hyuuga muttered, offering the paper up for her to take. "Worse."

Curious, TenTen held it up so she could read it.

_My dear Hinata,_ it read. _I have noticed that your lovely smile has been all but absent lately. It makes my heart ache to see you so sad._

She hadn't given the matter much thought, but Hinata had seemed rather down lately. Quieter than usual, if such a thing were possible. Frowning, TenTen tried to think of why that might be, but came up with nothing. Why hadn't she noticed sooner?

_Perhaps I am being too forward, but I wanted to let you know that I think your smile is beautiful. Even on days where I cannot believe that the sun will rise tomorrow, your smile gives me the strength to smile myself. Because I know that you are always smiling in spite of the darkness and pain._

_I want to tell you that I admire you. You have kept your gentle spirit, in spite of the ugliness life has shown you, and with quiet courage you face new challenges every day._

_The things that you strive to overcome are not things that others can see, but they are so much more difficult because you feel you must face them alone._

_Hinata, please remember as you smile, that you are never alone. I am watching you, giving back what courage I can, always. You may not notice me, but I see you, and will do all I can to help you from the shadows. Because you are a small light in the darkness._

_Sincerely,_

_Someone who loves you_

"Well," TenTen said, staring at the paper. "That's…uh…that's very poetic, Neji. But, well, it's just a bit awkward." And rather incestuous, which seemed a bigger problem than why Hinata hadn't been smiling lately.

"Tell me about it," Neji muttered, putting the heel of his hand to his head. "I'm just glad it actually said Hinata's name, or I would have been concerned as to who put this on my door."

"Your door?" TenTen blinked. "You mean you didn't write it?"

Neji looked at her like she'd just announced she was going to start dressing like Guy. "No."

She sighed slightly, more of relief than anything else. She would have found it harder to help her team mate than usual in this situation. She frowned as she thought more, and studied the note again. "So they put it on your door by mistake?"

The Hyuuga nodded, but he was staring at the ground in concentration. "It seems as though they didn't know where her room was."

"Well…that's comforting."

Neji looked over at her in confusion, his brows furrowing. "How do you figure?"

TenTen smiled at him slightly before shrugging. "It means that, whoever it was, doesn't stalk her constantly."

Actually, Neji did find that thought surprisingly reassuring. Leave it to TenTen to think of something like that.

She frowned at the note again; holding it up for closer inspection like that would help her somehow. "So the disaster you mentioned earlier is…that someone likes Hinata?"

"Not exactly." Neji picked up a few blades of grass in his hand tossing them carelessly to catch on the breeze. "It's just…"

"You don't know, do you?" TenTen laughed, shaking her head. "It bothers you, and you don't know why."

He scowled, knowing that she was right, but not quite wanting to admit it. "No…well…" He paused, frowning in thought. "Maybe a little." He sneaked a sidelong glance at her face, before returning to his activity of pulling at the harmless grass.

With a knowing smile, TenTen nodded. "And you have no idea who it is from?"

Neji shook his head before leaning over to look at the letter in her hand once again. "I don't have a clue. It seems a little familiar and I'm fairly sure it is someone our age. The writing still looks immature." The writing was a little sloppy, not the hand of someone who had been writing for business or other activities where the appearance of the style was just as important as what it said.

"I think whoever it was did the strokes backwards." She cocked her head to the side quizzically. "There are only a few people I know who do that. Iruka-sensei does." It was why he didn't often write on the board, although she doubted Neji knew that. "Naruto does too, because he taught himself." But the writing was much too poetic for Naruto, as happy as that would make Hinata.

The Hyuuga studied the writing again. That would certainly account for the sloppy look. He pondered deeply before shaking his head. "I can't think of anyone I know who does that." He racked his brains, but found he still came up blank. "Do you know anyone else?"

"Well…Lee does…but…" But he wouldn't, right? Because Lee was in love with Sakura, and he was always so LOUD when he decided he loved someone. Notes were too subtle for him. Weren't they? "I mean, it does sound a little like him, I guess, but it can't be. Right?"

"No. Lee is too…forward." He nodded, a little satisfied with his wording. "He still likes Sakura doesn't he?" Sure he hadn't been mentioning her as much as he used too, but they had been busy as of late. That was only natural. "No. It can't be Lee…"

TenTen read the note over again. "The word youth isn't used at all." But if he was careful and really didn't want to be found out, Lee was smart enough to know that was something that would give him away immediately. "I don't know anyone else…"

He leaned over to study the paper again before sighing, feeling dejected. He started to rub his temples and he gritted his teeth. "I don't know who else it could be. It might even be someone…" He sighed. "I'm worried that it is someone just trying to take advantage of her name."

"Cynical." It wasn't so much an insult as it was an observation. "But just giving her an anonymous note gains them nothing. There's no guarantee Hinata will try and find out who it is." Any half-way decent ninja probably would, but Hinata was kind of weird

"I'm not cynical per say. I'm careful." He reached over and took the note. "I don't even know if I should give this to her." True, it might make her feel better, but it was still too…suspicious. "It's not like everyone in the village doesn't know that she is the heir to the Hyuuga clan. She is sought for, but not because of her personality." It was quite obnoxious actually. She was too sensitive for that.

"Again, I don't see how a note with no signature would gain them anything. I think you should give it to her. If she's as depressed as the author of this seems to think, it might do her some good." TenTen tapped the paper with one finger. "What's she so upset about anyway? I hadn't noticed before, but this someone is right."

Neji sighed deeply, shaking his head. "I managed to talk to her briefly about it, but I still don't know all the details. I do know that it has something to do with Naurto." He looked over at TenTen and he felt himself seethe slightly "Did you know he hasn't even talked to her yet?"

"He left so quickly, but I thought he'd at least said something to her. That explains a lot." TenTen sighed, rubbing her forehead with the heel of her hand. "I'm sure he didn't mean to be so insensitive. It's not any excuse but…"

The Hyuuga made a 'tch' noise, but had to admit to himself that she was right. Naruto frequently did not think these things through, and he also tended to focus only on his own goals. It didn't make the blonde boy a bad person, in fact Naruto was a great kid, but it did make him rather frustrating. He looked at the note, now in his hand, before standing slowly. He looked down at TenTen before offering her a hand up.

She took it, pulling herself upright, book in hand. "Where are we going?"

"I'm trying to decide that as we walk." He started to walk, knowing TenTen would follow. He really did hate seeing Hinata upset, and the note would probably cheer her up, and try as he might, he didn't find he had any uneasy feelings as he read the letter. "I suppose we should probably return this to its rightful owner…"

"Good idea." TenTen smiled, following behind him. They were about halfway to the Hyuuga compound when a familiar cheerful voice rang across the market.

"Neji! TenTen!" Lee ran toward them, waving excitedly. "What are you two up to this glorious morning?"

Neji gave Lee a half-smile before raising his eyebrows. "We were just on our way to the Hyuuga compound. Where have you been?"

"I spent my morning training with Guy-sensei, so the better question would be where were you two?" Lee shot them a suspicious glance, and TenTen felt her cheeks heat up.

"I was reading and lost track of time." She muttered, resisting the urge to knock Lee upside the head, because he hadn't really done anything wrong. He hadn't even actually implied anything. She was just being sensitive.

"I've been investigating, and TenTen was kind enough to help me." Neji continued to give Lee the same look. He had completely forgotten they were meeting with Guy-sensei this morning. That was unusual for him, but he blamed the stress of the morning on that. He held out the note to Lee. "Do you know who could have written this?"

Lee's reaction was fascinating to watch. His round eyes widened to nearly the size of dinner plates, his face paled, and he made a choked laughing noise. "That, that note? No, why would I know? Of course not! It's just a note, a regular note, no way to tell who wrote it at all. But, if you give it to me, I will do my best to find out."

Wow. That wasn't suspicious at all. TenTen frowned, taking a step toward him, and was surprised when he actually flinched. "Rock Lee, what are you hiding?"

"Hiding? I'm not hiding anything. I only wish to to help a friend in need." Lee held out his hand with an obviously nervous laugh. "Please may I see it, Neji?"

Neji frowned slightly, feeling hesitant. It was not a reaction he had been expecting, but it had set off alarm bells. He shook his head. "I think you know more than you are letting on Lee, and you can't have this note until you tell us what."

The anxious look that crossed Lee's face was rather unsettling, because it didn't look like it belonged there at all. "Honest, Neji, I wouldn't know anything about anyone who would have such strong feelings for your cousin. And we must do everything we can to protect her virtue and…youthful innocence…"

"How did you read that thing so fast?" TenTen asked, trying to sound innocent. Lee's reaction had been so fast; there was no way he'd managed to process more than her name at the top.

"It's a good point Lee." Neji stepped forward, but kept the note at his side now. His eyes narrowed in suspicion and he crossed his arms across his chest in a familiar pose. "What is going on?"

Seeing now that it was futile to try and backtrack, Lee gulped and moved to start running. Unfortunately for him, TenTen had anticipated this move on his part, and already had a chain shooting toward him, tangling his legs. He fell hard, gasping as the air was forced from his lungs. TenTen took the opportunity to pounce on him, sitting on him so her knees pinned his shoulders. It wouldn't hold him if he really wanted to get away, but it might slow him down enough for Neji to get to him.

She frowned, keeping a hand on his head. "You wrote that note?"

A soft sigh, and Lee let himself go limp under her hold. He was a dead man anyway. "Yes."

Neji blinked, thoroughly surprised. He walked over and kneeled in front of his friend. He read the note over again and he sighed. He knew Lee would never write or say anything he wouldn't mean. Only one question was really ringing in his head clearly. "Why?"

"You love Sakura," or something. Like Sakura and told her he loved her, anyway.

"It…" Lee bit his lip, wishing he could at least sit up so he could look at Neji properly while he tried to explain. "I have been watching Hinata lately. She…she couldn't find you the day Naruto left, and in looking for you she found me. We've talked everyday and I…I don't want her to hurt anymore. If I can do anything to lighten her burden, and least a little, then I want to."

The Hyuuga frowned again and motioned for TenTen to release Lee. He was pretty sure Lee wouldn't run anymore. He waited until he could look Lee in the eyes before he spoke. "So…do you still love Sakura or not?"

"Sakura was never mine to love." It hurt, but in the last couple of weeks he'd found it wasn't as hard to deal with as he'd expected. "First Sasuke, and now Naruto-kun. We could be friends, at best, but she will never love me. I don't want to spend my life trying for someone who cannot love me when someone better might…maybe…in some small way…"

"Might love you," TenTen finished softly, reaching out and putting a hand on Lee's shoulder. They'd had a very similar conversation a few weeks after they were put on the same team, when Lee had confessed his love to her. And she had explained that she loved him, in a way, but not how he'd wanted. It hurt to see that look of heartbreak on his face again.

Neji nodded sadly and looked down at the note. He looked back up at Lee before he stood. "Alright. I'm going to go give this to Hinata-sama." He had made up his mind. He would give it to his cousin, and then it would be up to her to make the right decision, whatever that may be.

Lee yelped, twisting out of TenTen's grasp and making a desperate grab for it. "No, Neji, don't. It was a bad idea. Impulsive. She'll know it was me and then…it'll ruin everything or…or she'll not have anyone to talk to and I'll only make things worse, somehow."

She didn't talk herself out of knocking him on the back of the head this time. "Idiot! Lee, it's a lovely note. Exactly what she needs right now."

The Hyuuga didn't like seeing Lee so distraught over it, but he knew that this would make Hinata-sama feel better. Whether or not she would be able to tell it was Lee, he didn't know. "I'm giving it to her Lee. No matter what you say." He started to walk, though he activated his byakugan, just in case the green clad ninja escaped from TenTen and charged him. He didn't like to be surprised, especially by a high speed Taijutsu user.

"Don't make me tie you up again, Lee," TenTen muttered, keeping a hand on his elbow to help him stand. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but this really is a good idea. Don't turn into a coward on me now. Come on." Maybe watching her reaction would help him. It was bound to be better than anything he was imagining.

Neji walked up to the Hyuuga compound, him and his team mates in utter silence. He walked inside, and started to head to Hinata-sama's room. It wasn't hard to find, especially for him. He sighed and looked at the door before turning and looking at Lee. "For future reference, this is Hinata-sama's room. That is mine." He pointed over at his door. "You taped the note to the wrong door."

A little pink tinted Lee's cheeks as he studied the location. Neji's door had been just a little down the hall. Maybe he should have paid better attention to Hanabi's directions. He had, after all, traded away two afternoons a week to train the younger Hyuuga in Taijutsu. "Oh."

The Hyuuga turned and knocked on the door that belonged to the shy girl. He waited for a response and as soon as the door opened he bowed. He confirmed that it was Hinata standing in front of him instead of Hanabi, and then he continued. "Hinata-sama, this is for you. It was taped to my door by mistake."

Hinata blinked, obviously surprised. She took the note and looked up at her older cousin. He nodded and she opened the letter.

White eyes slowly widened, and, to Lee's delight, a slow smile crossed Hinata's face. She looked shocked, and pleased, and confused all at once.

"But who…who would send me such a nice thing?" Hinata asked, her hands holding the note like they would have a delicate ancient text. Something precious and irreplaceable.

"Someone who cares about you very much." Neji said delicately, putting a hand on her shoulder. He resisted the urge to turn around and look at Lee's face. He didn't even use byakugan. He figured it would be odd to Hinata-sama if he suddenly activated his byakugan in the Hyuuga house.

She grinned, holding the note close to her heart. "Thank you for bringing it to me, Neji-niisan. I feel that, somehow, things are better now."

TenTen squeezed Lee's arm tight, a silent message that she was proud of him. For his part, Lee felt he should say something, but he didn't have a clue what it could be. Just seeing her smile like that made any consequences that might come worth it.


	5. GuyTen: What Little Girls Are Made Of

**A/N:** Stories now featuring the itty-bitty-Rock Lee-and-TenTen-committee! And if you don't get that joke, you don't read enough lolcats.

_**Curry of Love**  
What Little Girls Are Made Of_

This had to be a record of some kind, Guy was sure of it.

It had taken months for him to convince Sandaime that enrolling TenTen in Academy was a good idea. That it would instill loyalty for Konoha in the girl from a very young age, even though her family was from Mist—new information for Guy, and interesting though he didn't quite know what to do with it. That they didn't need her parents' permission because he would pay all the fees, and sign all the papers, and be completely responsible for her in every way he could. And Kakashi had agreed to be the emergency contact in case Guy was not around, which was probably what had won him the argument.

All those months of work and preparation and here he was, called in to the office for a parent-teacher meeting on the very first day. TenTen had only been in class for six hours, how much trouble could she really get in to?

Resigning himself to several long years of this, Guy turned down another hall. Maybe he hadn't realized what he was getting in to when he took TenTen home three years ago, but it was much too late to turn back now. They were some kind of twisted part-time family, by his own making, and he was just going to have to deal with that as best he could.

TenTen was sitting outside the door of the classroom he'd dropped her off at that morning, staring dejectedly at the wall in front of her, swinging her little legs back and forth as the chair she was perched on was much too large for her. He paused, trying to deduce what had happened. Her hair, which she'd braided herself that morning, was coming loose and hanging wildly about her shoulders and her new clothes were dirty and rumbled. They weren't torn though, which was good, because sewing wasn't one of the young Jounin's best skills, and he couldn't really afford more clothes for her until missions picked up. Other than that she was dirty and scratched, but didn't seem to have any serious injuries. That much was good, at least.

With a soft sigh and another pause to gather his courage, the green clad shinobi stepped towards the small girl. "In trouble already, TenTen-chan?"

Her dark head shot up, deep brown doe eyes widening in surprise. "Ojisan! Sensei said he was going to call you, but…"

"Izanagi-sensei said you'd been fighting." Guy really wanted to look the imposing and righteous figure his father always had. As an Academy student, young Might Guy had been in more than a few fights himself his first year of school, and whenever his father had come in it had been like an angel of justice descending in a rain of fire and fury. Fear of his father's disappointment in attacking one of his teammates, however loosely the term may have fit them, had been enough to stop his fists from flying on more than one occasion, even after his father was gone.

This situation, though, was not that one. However much he wished and tried to pretend otherwise, TenTen was not his daughter. Even though he was responsible for her, and there were some rules he insisted she follow when he was home, he couldn't be there to enforce them all the time. More than that, he had to remember that there was another side to her life. A side made up of screaming parents and unjustified attacks on a small girl who could not defend herself. TenTen never said it out loud, but Guy knew she was terrified of her parents, and expected harsh punishment for small missteps.

The image of her crouched and crying, terrified he was going to be angry and hurt her, when TenTen had accidently broken a cup was not one easily removed from his mind.

Yelling at her just might shatter the fragile trust he'd worked so hard to build. He could not and would not frighten her like that. Another solution was just going to have to be found.

"Well…it's just that…" TenTen's small round face flushed as she studied her scuffed sandals, dropping his gaze and hunching her shoulders. "They deserved it, Ojisan."

"I did not." The high-pitched young voice took Guy by surprise. He hadn't even seen the little boy on TenTen's other side.

A small boy with long shiny dark hair was seated on TenTen's far side, and he certainly looked much worse for wear than she did. He was bruised and scratched, one round dark eye swollen almost completely shut, and with traces of blood around his mouth and on his ripped green shirt. This concerned Guy greatly until he realized the source must have been the boy's front teeth. Or, rather, the place they used to be as both were now missing.

Had TenTen done that?

"Yes you did. I didn't need your help." The defiant look on her young face would have been funny in any other situation, as it rather spectacularly showed off her bruised bottom lip. Perhaps the boy had put up a little more of a fight than it seemed.

"But they were trying to hit you," the boy whined, air whistling through the gap in his teeth. "And mama said little gentlemen shouldn't hit ladies."

Ah. That explained why he was so much worse off than TenTen was. Poor kid probably really hadn't deserved half of what he got, if any at all. He seemed like a nice young boy.

"I'm not a lady, I'm a ninja." TenTen growled, baring her small white teeth, and Guy decided it was probably time to do something before the young girl's temper got the better of her. He'd only seen it on a couple of occasions, one being when she'd attempted to attack Kakashi, much to his rivals amusement, for trying to trick Guy into reading his horrid book, and it was really a sight to behold.

Hell had no fury, he'd decided, than a pissed off mini-kunoichi.

Maybe he could bring a little of his father's teachings in to this after all. Schooling his expression in to a frown of disappointment, Guy knelt down so he could look TenTen in the eye. "Ninja don't attack their teammates, TenTen, justified or otherwise."

Brown eyes widened as she looked at him, a sheepish expression crossing her face, while the boy looked over at them curiously.

It was too hard to see the fire in her eyes quenched like that, when it was her determined spirit Guy loved so much about his little girl, and the frown soon morphed into the more natural feeling easy smile. "How about you start at the beginning and tell me what happened."

A few more minutes of silent pouting passed before TenTen would look at him. His smile seemed to reassure as she spoke slowly. "During break, some of the boys were teasing me. They…" and her face flushed again, this time in anger. "They said that you looked funny, and that I was going to look funny too. I told them to take it back. The part about you. And they wouldn't. So I hit one of them."

Guy nodded, making an attempt to process all of this. He'd been made fun of his whole life for one thing or another, so the fact that small children found his looks disturbing didn't bother him very much. They just didn't understand the benefits of his energizing attire.

What did cause his stomach to twist in knots was that TenTen was suffering because of his choices. He wasn't used to his small choices affecting anyone. His teammates had all been killed in the Kyuubi attack six years before and his parents dead for over a decade now. He'd learned how to live on his own, but he wasn't anymore. His choices could hurt the little girl he loved so much, and that bothered him. It would be the source of much pondering at a later date.

"Anyway, so, the boys all got mad and said I couldn't do it. Then Lee here," and she jerked her thumb over at the boy angrily, seeming not to notice his cheerful wave in Guy's direction, "decided he needed to protect me, even though I was doing just fine. So I hit him instead, 'cause I didn't need his help, and he stopped me from showing those boys they couldn't say things like that about my Ojisan."

The Jounin tried very hard to follow that logic, but found he couldn't. The poor kid was probably just being nice. He certainly looked like a sweet enough little fellow. Guy sighed again, searching his brain for something to say. Sandaime should make all the teenagers in Konoha responsible for one of the orphans for a day. All unplanned pregnancies would cease completely. "TenTen, you cannot hit fellow Konoha shinobi for doing something you don't like. And you certainly can't hit them when what you don't like is something good."

"But now all the boys are going to think I'm weak," TenTen whined, dark eyes pleading with him for understanding. When had she gotten so good at that look? "Lee didn't think I was strong enough to fight, and now the others don't either. They already said I couldn't be a real ninja like Ojisan because I'm a girl, and that's not fair because I didn't ask to be."

Tilting his head a little, Guy frowned at her. "Who told you that being a girl was a bad thing, TenTen-chan?" His teammate, Kaori, from whom he'd gotten TenTen's hairstyle, had been one of the strongest ninja Guy had ever known, and someone he admired greatly. All kunoichi had his respect, in fact, because so much more was expected of them on infiltration missions, including a lot of practices he could not agree with. He'd never given a contrary impression, had he?

TenTen just looked at him, her frown deepening, and he understood. Something one of her parents had said, probably on more than one occasion.

A tense silence followed while Guy struggled to find something to say around the anger that was clouding his thinking processes, but it was interrupted by the swift click of high heeled shoes on the Academy floors.

The little boy, who'd been watching them with one-eyed curiosity, broke into a grin and leapt to his feet and held up his arms in a manner that made his joy quite clear. "Mama!"

Guy turned, ready to apologize to the parent of the apparent victim of this scuffle, and willingly take whatever punishment they saw fit for the two of them, short of having TenTen removed from school.

He was greeted with the sight of a woman much younger than he expected. She was probably only two or three years older than he was, with large dark eyes the same color as her son's, and thick wavy black hair that seemed to be coming loose from the bun she'd had it up in. Petite and dressed in a rather flattering outfit, she would have been quite pretty, beautiful even, if her make-up had been more or less than half-done. As it was, it gave her the look of being incomplete.

As she got closer, Guy found he recognized the outfit she was wearing, or at least partly. It was the uniform from a hostess club he walked by on his way to the Hokage tower from the south side of the village. More than once they had tried to wave him in and he had refused. The cap on her head, however, was from a little sushi stand a few blocks west of his apartment. If he thought about it, he could remember seeing the pretty woman behind the counter.

It seemed that she'd been caught between jobs, rushing here to check on her young boy. It made Guy a little heartsick to see someone in such a situation, and already he was trying to think of something he could do to help her, even though he knew already there was nothing.

She brushed past Guy like he wasn't even standing there to kneel by her son, pulling him into a tight hug. "Lee, baby, what happened? Are you hurt?"

Lee shook his head, a few more strands falling loose from his braid. "No, Mama. But look," and he opened his mouth, pointing one dirty finger at his red gums. "TenTen took out my lose tooth. And the other one too. I could not find them though."

The woman smiled, gently brushing back the boy's bangs. "That's alright. You can have some ice cream when you get home, to help you feel better. But just one bowl, okay?"

Guy looked down at TenTen, who was watching the whole thing with curious eyes as the boy nodded with enthusiasm. He wished he knew that the little girl was thinking, and how much she understood from the conversation. What Guy was getting out of it was that this poor woman was rarely home when her son was, which only made him feel worse that he'd been beaten up unnecessarily by his hot tempered girl that he couldn't even yell at. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "If there are any dental bills or anything he needs, I'll be happy to pay for them…"

Looking up at him in surprise, the woman seemed to just realize he was there. She stood, bowing low, face flushing. "How terribly rude of me. I'm Rock Aika. I'm terribly sorry if Lee caused you or your loved one any distress and I promise he…"

"He didn't do anything wrong." TenTen said, her small voice coming out a rush before Guy could finish opening his mouth to deny that Lee had done anything of the sort. "He was just trying to help, honest. I started the fight, Aika-san, and I'm sorry."

That…was a curious development. Not unwelcome, certainly, because it didn't hurt to have TenTen admit when she was wrong sometimes, but rather unexpected because she almost never did that. Maybe she'd understood a bit more than he thought.

Aika looked at them both in surprise, obviously confused about what an odd pair the two of them made, before smiling and nodding. "Your apology is accepted, and it seems no lasting harm was done." She then glanced at the door to the classroom, still closed, looked at the clock, and sighed. "Lee, sweetheart, I'm sorry, but I have to get to work…"

"It's okay." The grin Lee gave his mother was no less brilliant for the huge gap in his white baby teeth. "I told sensei I didn't think you'd be able to come at all. He understands."

"And I promise I'll make sure he's fair," TenTen said, striking a pose that was a perfect mimic of Guy's own nice guy pose, causing the Jounin to stifle a laugh as a line Kakashi used to rile TenTen up came to mind. Sugar, and spice, and everything nice did indeed seem to be what little girls were made of.


	6. NejiTen: Shake It

**A/N:** And since I've had a little LeeHina fun, Neji and TenTen are clamoring for some attention. I hope you guys enjoy it. Inspired, at least in part, by one of my favorite NejiTen videos with the same title. Youtube it and love it.

_**Beware**_; this is THE dirtiest thing I've ever written…ever.

_**Curry of Love**  
Shake It_

Seventeen-year-old Neji Hyuuga had seen a lot in his life. A great deal of death and destruction, sure, but quite a lot of strange or beautiful things too. Nothing that he'd seen, or would see he was sure, would compare to what he was watching right now.

His teammate, his FEMALE teammate as he was suddenly painfully aware, spun gracefully toward him across the dance floor like she'd been born there. The flattering low cut top and tight pants looked great on her, as well as perfectly concealed the deadly arsenal of weapons he knew she was carrying. They were, after all, on an assassination mission to find a man who'd apparently date raped the teenage daughter of a wealthy lord at this club.

It was TenTen's job to find the man and dispose of him, while Neji acted as back up or an extra pair of eyes if she needed them.

He wasn't used to seeing her like this though. Her hair was mostly down, with just the sides pulled up in a high perky ponytail almost on top of her head, leaving the rest in a long wavy brown curtain. She had on make-up, too, just a little lip gloss and sparkles on her eyelids and cheek bones. And those CLOTHES. Guy-sensei was going to have a fit if he ever saw her in that little sea-green crop top and jeans.

She still looked like TenTen, but not ninja TenTen. She was TenTen the girl he rarely got to see, doing her second favorite thing in the world. She wouldn't admit it, Neji knew, but his friend loved to dance almost as much as she loved to fly with steel in her hand.

Right now, she was dancing his way, and for the first time in a long time, Neji found he had no idea what to do. He couldn't turn and run like he wanted, so what did that leave?

TenTen flopped down into the chair next to him, grabbing his glass and taking a drink. She frowned at it, seeming disappointed to find it was only a soda with no alcohol in it. "I can't find him here, Neji. No one even close to the description is anywhere I can find, and I've been all over. I don't want to come back another night."

That was a lie, and Neji knew it. They'd been here three nights in a row already, and the happy glow on TenTen's face when he announced they'd have to come back the next night gave away her excitement. He, however, wasn't sure he could take yet another night of watching her dance. Watching her spin and twist and grind against other boys.

It was probably a good thing he wasn't holding his glass right then, as his fist automatically clenched in fury at the mental pictures that provided. They needed to finish this mission up so things could go back to normal and he could deal with ninja TenTen again. "Are you sure you've checked everywhere?"

"As sure as I can be with all the flashing lights. You really can't just…"

"It's too obvious. The contacts hide my eye color, but not the veins when the chakra flow increases." Neji sighed, cursing once again how dependant they'd all become on his eyes.

A deep frown crossed her face before TenTen's eyes widened in a look Neji dreaded. When TenTen got that look it usually meant he was about to be talked in to doing something he'd really rather avoid. "TenTen…"

"Come dance with me. Out on the floor, no one will have the time or inclination to watch your face." She grinned, running a hand down the buttons that held his loose white collared shirt in place. "I'll teach you to move so they'll be distracted by everything else."

It took concentrated effort for Neji not to swallow heavily when she did that, and a sharp mental shake to remind himself that yes, it was TenTen doing that to him. And TenTen flirted with everyone because it was some kind of power trip for her when they would squirm. It certainly wasn't because she had any feelings for them.

Not even for him.

Even with those thoughts, his voice came out low and husky. "TenTen…" she stopped her movements and it was suddenly easier to breathe. "We both know I can't dance." He could waltz and perform other formal dances like a trained dog, but this was something else entirely.

"You keep telling me that, but I've never seen you try. Come on, Neji, it'll be fun." She grabbed his hand, yanking him to his feet before he could process enough to protest. She was the only one that could do that, had always been able to, and it was a little infuriating.

Neji stumbled after her, managing to make it look more dignified than he felt when she suddenly stopped and spun in to him. He barely managed to grab her slim shoulders and hold her in place. "This is a bad idea, TenTen. Probably on your top ten list of bad ideas."

"Oh, no higher than the top twenty." She smirked, her eyes falling to half-lidded as her lips quirked up. "Maybe you can't dance because you didn't have an acceptable teacher, Neji-kun. But under my tutelage, you shall excel."

This was probably the first time in his life that Neji didn't WANT to excel at something.

"It's easy, Neji," TenTen continued, the smirk morphing in to a small, more genuine smile, as she stepped back a little. "You just feel the music and move."

"I find your instruction lacking," he deadpanned, watching her with white-currently-blue eyes.

TenTen laughed, shaking her head, already moving. "Come on, then. Just follow me. Put your hand here…" she grabbed his left hand, placing it on her hip, almost on her backside, before grabbing his right and putting it on the other side.

He didn't dare move. He wasn't sure he could even breathe. It was taking everything he had to keep all other parts of him under control, and now she wanted him to focus on his hands too? Not fair. Not fair at all.

She reached up, looping her hands around his neck under the ponytail that was pulled at the base of his skull. "Now watch my eyes and let your body do what mine does."

Did she have to say it like that?

In spite of himself, Neji found that, as she began to to move her hips back and forth, he was forced to follow with both his shoulders and waist. Was it always this awkward, or only with her?

"You're doing great," TenTen grinned, closing her eyes briefly before opening them again to match her smile. "See, this isn't so hard is it?"

"Depends on what part you're talking about," Neji said through gritted teeth before mentally kicking himself. Not helpful, Hyuuga.

She just laughed cheekily, the little minx, twirling his hair with her fingers before running one hand to scratch along the top of his shoulders. That motioned stopped any and all thoughts in their tracks like some kind of brain washing jutsu. He loved that feeling. It always stole his breath away. TenTen knew that turned him on, the little imp! She was doing that on purpose.

"TenTen." It was supposed to be a menacing growl, but it came out more of a breathless whimper. Damn it, he'd let her go uncontested too long, and now she was absolutely smirking at him. She so loved making him miserable. The worst part was, he couldn't decide whether telling her that it was ONLY her that could reduce him to this pile of Hyuuga goo would help or not. Because it was only her, with her large doe eyes, stunning body, and, most of all, her unstoppable spirit that could make the knees of a Hyuuga genius knock together and almost refuse to hold him up. If he told her, would she understand what all of this meant for him, and stop her games because they were cruel? More likely, they would only increase from the feeling of power that gave her.

Well, two could play at that game.

Neji tightened his fingers on her hips, pulling her closer so her body was flush against his, removing his left hand to run up her spine. He'd discovered this particular spot quite on accident, while bandaging her after a mission shortly after her sixteenth birthday. She had absolutely squirmed, and as her face flushed he'd figured out why.

This time she made a noise that might have been a squeak, her fingers clenching on his shoulders. "Neji, don't! I'm supposed to be teaching you to dance so you can look for our target, remember?"

No, he hadn't. At all. Probably because the blood he needed for thinking wasn't where it should be, and his little minx would know that. It would have been embarrassing, except TenTen was such a tease that she honestly didn't mind. She seemed to think it was funny, actually, when one of her boys got an erection for her. She'd made a game of it with Lee until Guy-sensei made her stop. At the time, Neji had blamed Lee for his lack of self-control. He knew better now.

He could feel TenTen smirking into his shoulder, even, which was maddening. Why did she always have to be such a tease? Why did he have to care so much? Why did he have to hope, every time, that this time it would lead to something between them that was more than physical?

Asking TenTen to love him…it was an almost silly idea. He might as well try and get affection from the wind. His TenTen did not accept limits or cages, no matter how golden. She flew because she allowed nothing to tie her down. His love, no matter how well intention, she would see as a rope. Something to be feared and fled. Because TenTen, she didn't know what it was to love. Her parents ignored her, had never shown her affection as far as he knew, and though Guy-sensei meant well, he always tried so hard to stay within the proper limits that Neji doubted she knew just how much the Jounin cared about her.

Speaking objectively, if such a thing were possible at the moment, Neji knew he could understand her feelings. In the ninja world, and theirs particularly, love always brought pain. The suffering Neji had endured after his father's death, however self inflicted, had been because he loved his father. All the pain and torment Lee had endured had been in the name of their sensei, because he loved him. Naruto and Sakura hurt because of their love for Sasuke, Team 10 their love for Asuma, and so on.

The more you loved, the more you hurt when that person inevitably left.

That was the fate of a ninja, one they all had learned to accept. Most of them loved anyway, believing that the good memories were worth any eventual pain. But TenTen…TenTen had forgotten where she hid her heart, and, in exchange, had learned how to touch the sky. For her, there were no limits. No one to tell her when it was too much, that she was pushing herself too far or too hard. That what she dreamed was impossible.

No one but their team to notice if she lived or died. TenTen called it freedom. Neji called it loneliness.

She treasured it, whatever name it went by, and he could not take it from her. Could not, instead of would not, because if he could force her to give it up, to love and feel down here on earth with the rest of them, he would have done it long ago. Tied her down and made her realize just how sad and heavy and difficult it all was; to deal with the hard stuff instead of running away.

But he was powerless to force her to acknowledge that she could hurt just as much as anyone else. That she might need someone once in a while to stand beside her, instead of below. Which was why offering his heart to her was something he could not do. She wouldn't laugh, she wouldn't call him silly. She'd pity him and his human emotions, which was so much worse. She wouldn't understand.

Neji gasped a little, slamming his eyes shut in some odd combination of pleasure and pain, as she ground her hips and his unprepared finger tips brushed the top of her jeans. This was something TenTen understood—that is, actions that were ultimately nothing more than they seemed. Simple and clear with no complicated feelings mixing them up. When his body reacted to hers, he found her attractive, nothing more or less than that.

At least, as far as TenTen would admit.

"TenTen…"

"You're thinking, Neji. Unless it's about how we can find that guy so we can get out of here, stop it."

He was beginning to suspect that this person didn't exist at all. That the teenage girl had made him up to cover something else. He wasn't interested in that, though, and knew better than to suggest the possibility to TenTen—who would accuse him of being 'one of those guys' who didn't believe women when they said they were raped, or who thought they somehow deserved it. An accusation that couldn't be further from the truth, but would hurt none the less.

All evidence, however, pointed to his conclusion that this one time the person had been made up, and, contrary to what he'd told TenTen earlier, he already had searched the place with his eyes, top to bottom. There was no one even close to what they were looking for.

Sucking in a breath, Neji grabbed TenTen's shoulders, ceasing the movement of their bodies. He felt sticky with sweat, hair hanging damp around his face, pants painfully tight, and over-all just about as unpleasant as it was possible to physically be. "He isn't here tonight either, TenTen. He must have moved on to another club."

TenTen looked up at him, her lips parted slightly as she sucked in breath, a few wisps of hair coming loose and falling in her eyes. "What do you want to do then?"

What did he want to do? He wanted to lean down and kiss her senseless, run his hands over every inch of her body, make her understand that he loved her completely and that he wanted to make her his in every way. He wanted to show her in a way she understood and could not escape.

He swallowed hard, forcing all thoughts of what he really wanted out of his head. He couldn't make her his anymore than he could make the Elders change the clan. Those were outside of his control, no matter how much he wished to change it. "Let's leave. We'll survey some other clubs tomorrow; see if any of them look promising."

Let TenTen have a few more nights of her reckless freedom, while he watched and hurt for her.

With a pretty smile on her pink tinted lips, TenTen shifted her weight on to her toes and kissed his cheek. "As you wish, Neji."


	7. LeeHina: On Parade

**A/N:** And now for just a little more sunshine in your life, along with a side of sibling NejiHina. Brother/sister relationship is love. Yes, this was inspired by me listening to Taylor Swift's "Love Story" on the way to work, why do you ask?

My favorite version of the story of Orihime and Kengyuu, just in case you're curious: Members of royalty were, of course, associated with the heavens; Tentei (the emperor) being centered at the North Pole. One day, the emperor's daughter, Orihime, was sitting beside the river of heaven (Milky Way). She had been weaving because her father, the emperor loved the beautiful clothes that she made. On this particular day, she was very sad because she realized that she had been so busy that she didn't have time to fall in love. Her father, Tentei, the ruler of the heavens, felt sorry for her and arranged a marriage with Kengyuu (who lived across the river, the Milky Way). Their marriage was one of sweetness and happiness from the start; and everyday thereafter they grew happier and happier. But Tentei became very angry, because in spending so much time in her happy marriage, Orihime was neglecting her weaving. Tentei decided to separate the couple, so he placed them back in their original places, separated by the Milky Way. On only one night of the year would he allow them to meet, the 7th day of the 7th month. Every year on that day, from the mouth of the river (the Milky Way), the boatman (of the moon) comes to ferry Orihime over to her beloved Kengyuu. But if Orihime has not done her weaving to the best of her skills and ability, Tentei may make it rain. When it rains, the boatman will not come (because the river is flooded). However, in such a case, Kasasagi (a group of magpies) may still fly to the Milky Way to make a bridge for Orihime to cross.

_**Curry of Love**  
On Parade_

Hinata could admit that there were some advantages to being a Hyuuga. Money was never something she had to worry about, nor was there ever concern about how she would get her next meal. She had the best clothes, the best bedding, everything always the best. She couldn't do the injustice of saying she didn't enjoy the luxury either, even though she wanted to be a strong ninja. She liked her pretty comfortable things.

Right up until a point anyway. Because being a Hyuuga had lots of downsides, too, particularly when you were the Clan Leader's oldest daughter. Regular mandatory formal parties, so she could be introduced to the heads of other clans and almost every eligible boy in Konoha, were one such thing.

Maybe if she were brave, like Sakura or Ino, she could have fun, flitting from one group of guests to another with ease and grace, always ready for some new conversation. She wasn't like that, though. Talking to all those strangers was hard, and she was paralyzed by the fear of doing or saying something that would offend while her father was breathing down her neck. It was much easier to stay silent and play the good hostess, offering drinks and moving on quickly before anyone could say anything to her.

Her father didn't like this method, but he couldn't really disapprove of her actions either.

Only the fact that Neji-niisan usually had to suffer with her made these things tolerable for Hinata. Not because she was in any way glad that her cousin was suffering, oh no. It was because Neji secretly had a very wicked sense of humor, and was a bit of a gossip. He would sneak over to stand near her and, without once moving his mouth or changing his expression, proceed to make fun of nearly everyone in the room in turn.

It wasn't fair, because he could remain perfectly stoic while doing so, and she usually had to excuse herself so she could laugh until tears rolled down her face.

However, she couldn't find Neji-niisan anywhere this time, and it was starting to make the party look gloomier every hour that passed.

Likely, there were two reasons for Neji's disappearing act. The first was that Father had finally agreed to let Neji invite his teammates, on the condition that Neji would be responsible for them and ensure they didn't offend anyone (TenTen) or break anything (Rock Lee). It sounded like a full time job to Hinata, and she couldn't figure out why Neji would want them there except for the fact that misery wanted company.

The second reason was that this particular dance was a costume party, and she never had managed to ask Neji what he would be wearing. Among the sea of colorful costumes, masks, and face paint, it was difficult to find him without activating her limit, and that was taboo at such events.

She sighed, picking up another tray full of glasses, using her free hand to brush back a lock of hair that had come loose from the ornate hair piece she was wearing.

Her costume had been picked out by Hanabi, when her little sister had been searching the Hyuuga library for ideas. The younger girl had requested Hinata's help in finding something fitting, and the two had stumbled upon the tale of Kengyuu and Orihime.

"A beautiful hardworking princess who loves and marries a simple cow herder, only to be separated from him, and only able to see him one day a year." Hanabi had laughed, turning the book to show her sister the lovely water color illustration of the two lovers on opposite sides of the Milky Way. "I'd say it fits big sister well."

Hinata had been a little more than unsure of how to take that, but in the end had found no alternative costume. She'd settled on a pure white kimono with a simple pattern of blue stars on the back, her dark hair pulled up in two braids that met on the crown of her head, a silver hair piece with dangling beads holding them in place and framing her face. She had also wound silver threads into her hair, attempting to make it clear from looking at her who she was trying to be, as well as painted her face with white of high class ladies, feeling rather like a porcelain doll.

Whether or not she was successful in capturing the spirit of her costume remained to be seen. No one had commented so far, which was fine with Hinata. If anyone spoke to her about her costume, she'd end up needing to say something to them, and that was bound not to end well.

"May I offer you a drink, sir?" She asked softly, holding out her tray of chilled glasses.

"No thank you," a familiar happy voice said. "I am under strict orders not to destroy anything, so it is probably best I decline."

Jumping back Hinata stuttered, "L-Lee-san?"

Neji's teammate grinned at her from behind his mask, the usual sparkle somehow shining through despite the fact that most of his face was hidden behind an ANBU like mask. On top of his usual distinctive bowl hair cut was a wide farmer's hat, and he was dressed in simple work clothes instead of his usual green spandex. That would explain why she had been unable to immediately recognize him.

"Hinata-san's costume is very pretty," Lee observed, tilting his head to the side, dark eyes wide and visible through the holes in his mask.

She blushed behind her make up, looking down at her glasses. "Thank you, Lee-san. What is your costume supposed to be?"

Lee made a face and laughed. "It was TenTen's idea. I am supposed to be Kengyuu. She thought a farmer with an unattainable love was funny for me. How about yours?"

There was no way that was possible. She hadn't told anyone, not even Neji-niisan, about her costume plans, and yet, here stood the other half. In the form of her cousin's loud, though admittedly handsome, teammate.

Wait, what?

"I…I…I'm Orihime." If her hands had been free, she would have pulled a knuckle up to her mouth to bite on it and try and calm her nerves.

The not-so-green-at-the-moment green beast looked just as surprised as she did at this, but after a moment he laughed loudly. "It seems we are the end of someone's joke, Hinata-san. The universe has conspired to bring us together."

She blinked, setting the glasses back on the table. It seemed she'd been drawn in to a conversation in spite of herself. And what an awkward one it was. What was she even supposed to say to that? What could she say to that?

Much to her relief, Lee laughed, rubbing the back of his head innocently. "Or, at least, that is how Neji would see it."

"He's gotten better," Hinata protested, but giggled in spite of herself. How could one person be so awkward one moment, and so easy to talk to the next? "He takes full credit for everything good that happens now."

Lee's eyes widened comically, and he reached up a hand to push up his mask so she could look at him properly. "Was that a joke, Hinata-san?"

Maybe she'd never properly looked before, or maybe it was the lighting of the room, but Lee didn't just look handsome when he stood there like that. Oh, he was handsome. This close she could see that his dark eyes were actually a rich green, and his still boyish face seemed to be glowing as he shot her a crooked grin. More than that, though, he looked warm and kind. Gentle in a way she had never associated with the hot-tempered, loud boy she'd occasionally seen sparring with Neji-niisan.

Such a contradicting person this Rock Lee. Most confusing of all, was that she could feel her nervousness already wearing away. She had even joked with him, something she almost never did, even with Neji-niisan, in fear they would be offended or not find it funny. Here was a person, she could sense, who would neither judge her nor look down on her. He was too honest for that. "It w-was something like that."

A soft snicker and he dropped his hand, lowering the mask to his side and attaching it to his belt. "It was also true. Fate is still his favorite scapegoat. He curses her for sticking him with TenTen and me at least once a week. I think we might frustrate him sometimes."

Again, Hinata couldn't stop the giggle, and her attempts to do so result in a snort. She gasped, mortified, but Lee laughed out loud. It wasn't a mocking laugh, but one of genuine delight that he had made HER laugh. She didn't understand him at all.

Reaching out, Lee lifted the tray from her hands and placed it on the nearby table. "Forgive me for being forward, Hinata-san, but would you dance with me? Neji has been showing us all week, and I would hate for such lessons to go to waste…"

Dance? She never danced in public unless her father formally requested she do so. It was humiliating, with everyone watching her, waiting for one mistake, one tiny slip in form or manners to use against the Hyuuga clan or herself, from her enemies within it.

Before she could protest, however, Lee had grabbed her hand and was already leading her out among the dancing couples, his much larger hand easily encircling hers.

Her cheeks were flaming pink enough to show through the make-up, she was sure of it, and she ducked her head while Lee easily spun her around to face him, his hand falling easily to rest at her waist. It was strange…even though her cheeks burned hotter and it was suddenly more difficult to breathe with her heart hammering against her chest…she felt safe like this. The strength the taijutsu master possessed was obvious even from his lightest touches. No amount of baggy clothing could hide the power he seemed to radiate, and Neji had once confessed he struggled to beat Lee now. There was unimaginable power contained in that lithe body in front of her, and yet, she was not afraid of him.

It was the way he held her hand so lightly, like a little bird. The way he led her around with a gentle press of his hand, barely a whisper of a touch. He could not hurt her—not because he lacked power, but because he would not allow himself to.

That did not solve the problem of her dancing in public. Hanabi would see them, and her father probably already had. What would they think? She certainly didn't want to get Neji-niisan in trouble. "L-Lee-san, I shouldn't. I c-can't dance."

"Nonsense!" Lee grinned at her, thankfully a closed mouth one as a sparkle from this distance would be blinding. "I think you dance very well, with the grace of sunlight breaking through the clouds."

The play on her name was obvious but he said it so sincerely Hinata found that she could not laugh at him. She glanced down again, nearly giggling when she found herself staring at his large chest. He was quite a bit thicker than his usual outfit had him appear. "Thank you, Lee-san. I am not very g-good, though I am trying to learn."

"That is alright, I am not either." As if on cue, his foot landed on hers, and they both winced. Lee laughed nervously, giving her hand the lightest of squeezes. "That is what I admire about Hinata-san. You never stop trying to get better, even when the world fights against you. Your strength is quiet, but impressive. I wish I could be more like Hinata-san."

It felt like someone had tied weights to her chest, and given her wings at the same time. No one had ever called her strong before. Not since her mother had died, when she was four. Her Father had once called her strong, then, when she hadn't cried—though Hinata knew it was not strength, but lack of understanding that had stopped her tears. Then Father had married her new mother, Hanabi was born, and no one had called her so again.

But Lee-san had said so. Said so and actually meant it. Neji-niisan had often complained that Lee never said things he did not mean, hadn't he? He thought she was strong. He wanted to be like her.

Her heart fluttered in her chest, locking the words away tightly, refusing to ever forget them. They were more than when Naruto had said he liked people like her. These were meant for her and her alone.

The music stopped and so did they, though Lee did not remove his hand. "That was a lovely dance, Hinata-san. We should do it again."

Before she could get enough air to answer, an arm was thrown over Lee's shoulder, yanking him backwards. Even though the face and eyes were hidden behind a red devil mask, Hinata knew her cousin's long brown hair and menacing aura anywhere.

"That's enough, Romeo, or there won't be a next time," she heard Neji growl, dragging Lee away in a head lock. "It was hard enough getting Hiashi-sama to agree to let you come anyway. I don't think dancing with his daughter all night will help my cause in the future."

"We were just…"

"I know you were just, now stop it."

Hinata turned her head when there was a soft laugh from her left side to find TenTen standing there. If the older girl was in a costume at all Hinata didn't know what it was, but TenTen just waved cheerfully. "Until next time, then, Hinata-chan. We're sure to be seeing more of you soon."

She watched, frozen in the middle of the dance floor, dumbfounded and more confused than before with her heart roaring in her ears and her hand tingling, as the trio retreated to the far corner of the room. Just what had TenTen meant by that?


	8. LeeHina: Curry of Love

**A/N:** This is the story that originally inspired the title. Now, you will all get the joke. Another collab with my sister, yay!

_**Curry of Love**  
Curry of Love_

The early November rain was cold and driving right through his spandex as he splashed through yet another puddle on his way to the Hyuuga compound. Neji hadn't shown up for practice, and Guy-sensei had sent Lee to retrieve him. Neji should know by now, they always trained, no matter the weather, and it was unlike him to be late. His teammate better have a good reason for his tardiness, especially in rain like this.

Lee let himself in the front gates. He had stopped by so many times that the Hyuugas were used to him, and Hiashi-sama himself had told him to feel free so as not to bother anyone. He darted down the hall, sliding to a stop outside the right door, and banging loudly. "Neji-kun! Neji-kun, wake up! Where are you?"

Neji groaned loudly and threw his pillow at the door, making a soft thud as the object hit the wood. He instantly regretted that action, as his head hit the futon below him. He muttered under his breath and pulled the blankets over his head. If Lee wanted to get him, he'd have to come in because he wasn't moving.

With a frown of confusion at the thump on the door, Lee decided that was his cue to come in and pushed the thing aside. "Neji-kun, you are so late. You cannot just laze about in bed all day. That is unyouthful, and you will undo everything you have worked hard for. Get up."

The Hyuuga looked up at his team mate, glaring at him. "It's cold, and rainy. I have a fever. I am _not_ going out." Neji continued to glare at Lee, and lifted his blanket slightly, so Lee could get a view of his whole face. No, he wasn't leaving. No way.

"You look…like slow roasted death." Lee concluded, lifting the blanket a little more to peek at his friend. Neji was always pale, but now he looked grey, except for the two spots of pink on his cheeks, and his white eyes looked dull. "You sure are sick, huh?"

He nodded miserably at his spandex clad friend before frowning slightly. "Did you run here in only your spandex?" Inwardly, he groaned. It was a real wonder how Lee never caught sick like he did.

"Neji-niisan. I made…" Hinata paused as she entered her cousin's room and saw Lee kneeling by Neji's futon, dripping all over the floor. The blue-haired Hyuuga frowned and walked over. "Lee-san. You are soaking wet."

"The genius ran here in only his spandex." Neji muttered darkly, pulling the blanket over his head again.

He really was making quite an impressive puddle. Lee laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I do not have anything else, you know." Standing up he looked down at his bare toes. "Do you have a towel or something I could clean this up with?"

Hinata nodded and went to grab a towel. She came back swiftly and put the towel on the floor, where Lee had been dripping. She looked down at Neji.

"He can borrow some of my clothes." Neji muttered, still not surfacing from his small solitude. Hinata nodded, even though Neji couldn't see it and walked over to his closet and pulled out a pair of clothes and handed them to Lee.

"When you are done Lee-san, come to the kitchen. I can make you something to warm you up." She gave him a sweet smile, before ducking out of the room. Neji muttered something about 'only around Lee' before shifting and curling into a tighter ball.

"I could have cleaned that up," the younger boy muttered, working to take off his soaking wet spandex. It was much more difficult than expected as it kept sticking to his skin. "I really should be getting back. Guy-sensei will think something attacked here and killed us both."

"You can't turn her down after that." Neji mumbled, and lifted his blanket slowly again to peer at Lee. "She would be most upset." He made a 'shoo'ing motion with his hand. "Don't worry about the water, just go hurry and eat whatever she has made."

"Rodger," Lee grinned, too used to following Neji's orders in the field to question him here. What Neji had meant about only around him, Lee had no idea, but it didn't seem worth asking when there was the promise of warm cooking and TenTen's expression when he came back in Neji's clothes waiting for him. Jogging silently down the hallway, Lee peered in all the open doors he passed. Almost every wall in the Hyuuga house could slide, allowing them to create as many rooms as the clan needed. Unfortunately, he'd learned on the first time visiting, this also meant they were frequently changed by younger Hyuugas in need of a laugh. He'd ended up in Hinata's room quite by accident and scared the poor girl half to death. He didn't particularly want a repeat incident.

Still, he managed to find the kitchen without any major catastrophes, and waved at Hinata as he entered, just managing to get his fingers out of the sleeves. How did Neji manage to do this?

Hinata smiled over at him, standing over a large silver pot and stirring constantly. "It's almost done Lee-san." She continued to stir and leaned over on one foot to stir the rice on her other side. It was hard to do, but she really enjoyed it. "Go ahead and sit down." She smiled again, a slight blush on her face since she was standing over a hot stove.

He did as instructed, but instead of heading toward the table to sit he hoped up on a counter to try and get a peek in the large pot. "Can I help in anyway, Hinata-san?" That smelt delicious. Smelt like…"Is that curry? Did you make me curry, Hinata-san?"

She giggled slightly and looked over at Lee from the corner of her eye. "I hope you like it. I haven't ever made a really spicy curry…" Her voice trailed off, like it usually did. She stirred the curry some more before reaching over and grabbing a plate to put rice on it. "What would you like to drink Lee-san?"

"I am sure it will be great," the grin on his face was as wide and as bright as the young ninja could make it. "I can get myself some water, if you tell me where the glasses are." He felt bad, having Hinata do all these things for him, when he could do them fine on his own. TenTen had taught him too well for that.

She pointed up at the cupboard by her head. She then put rice on the plate in front of her and then covered half of it in curry and walked over to the table and set it down. She then scooped herself out a plate. She wasn't even sure if she would like spicy curry, but she figured she might as well try some. What harm could it do anyway?

Quickly getting two glasses down and filling them, Lee joined her at the table, kneeling politely. Bright red and steaming, it looked delicious. Even, dare he think it, better than the life curry. Was that blasphemous or something? Probably. Still, he could not wait to try it. "Itadakimasu," he said happily, grabbing his spoon and scooping up a heaping mouthful.

Hinata muttered a quiet 'itadakimasu' as she took a smaller spoonful and put the curry in her mouth. She chewed it carefully. It wasn't spicy at first, but after she swallowed it, she felt a burning sensation in the back of her throat. She blinked and felt some blood rush to her cheeks and she reached over for a drink. She gulped and then looked over at Lee, forcing a smile even though her throat still burned. "Do you like it Lee-san?"

Lee could not answer; his mouth was already full from his third bite. Instead, he nodded enthusiastically, lifting his plate so he could shovel the deliciousness in to his mouth at a higher rate of speed. This was good. This was better than good. This was the most fantastic curry he had ever tasted. He didn't know what she'd done, or how, but it was the single most amazing thing he'd ever tasted in all the fifteen years he'd been alive. He paused long enough between bites, halfway swallowing, as he grinned at her. "You are a goddess of curry, Hinata-san."

She felt her blood rush to her cheeks and her ears. "G-Goddess?" That was an interesting word. She giggled at him. Lee-san sure was interesting. "I'm glad you like it. There is extra if you want some…" She blinked when Lee looked up at her, his plate empty. "…more."

Dashing over, Lee quickly refilled his plate with fresh rice and more of the fantastic red curry. "Were you making this for Neji-kun, Hinata-san?" He paused momentarily as he sat down. "You know, he does not like spicy stuff."

"I was hoping I could get him to eat at least a little. I thought it would clear his sinuses some." Hinata laughed lightly and shook her head. Neji-niisan could be so stubborn. "I just didn't realize how spicy I made it. I was hoping to add some more spice than usual, since he wouldn't be able to taste it much with his sinuses so clogged."

"I think it is perfect." Then again, he loved spicy things. The hotter it was, the better. This was more than just the spice, though that was good, it was also amazing tasting. A real taste of the curry, and the vegetables and chicken, so tender and juicy. There wasn't a flaw to critique. "You are an amazing cook, Hinata-san. You should open your own restaurant. I would go."

She gave him a sad smile, and shook her head. "That isn't exactly something the Hyuuga clan heir would do." She sat back down at the table. "Besides, I'm…I'm not that good of a cook. It's…it's just a hobby."

"But you are so good at it." Lee put down his half-empty plate, dark eyes wide with surprise. "The most amazing cooking I have ever tasted." And he'd tasted quite a lot of her cooking, having eaten a third of Neji's lunch every day for going on three years now. "If you want to do it, you should. There is nothing dishonorable about such a career." At least you never had to kill anyone.

"It's alright Lee-san. It's a good trait for a housewife anyway." She smiled at him and picked up her glass to take another drink. It was a sad attempt at trying to hide her blush and the small bit of tears in her eyes. Her father would never let her stop being a ninja to become a cook. And besides…she still had to prove herself. To everyone.

Okay, now he was confused. "I thought you were going to be head of the clan. Neji-kun wants you to be." Neji talked about it all the time, when training was done and he, Neji, and TenTen were wandering around, delaying returning to their respective homes. Just as the light would be fading, Neji would mention how things would be better when Hinata was clan head. How she would change things. It was Neji's new dream to help her make those changes. Protect her while she did so.

It was touching, really. Like a big brother and sister.

"Neji-niisan is much more capable than I am." Hinata mumbled, lowering her glass. She knew it was useless to try and hide. Besides, her tears were gone now. She would be strong. For the sake of her dream and everyone it affected. "I will prove myself." She said it to herself, barely in a whisper.

Lee stopped his eating completely, leaving his plate and spoon down in front of him as he leaned forward. "You do not have to prove anything, Hinata-san. Anyone with eyes can see how strong you are." Not just anyone could stand up to Neji like she had. He had always been impressed with her determination. The quiet way she fought for her precious dreams, facing Neji's put downs, not with anger like he had, but a gentle guiding strength that could guide and not just harm.

Hinata looked over at Lee in surprise. She felt herself blushing still and she looked down. "Thank you Lee-san. That is very nice of you to say." She lifted her glass again, taking another drink. Lee's intense gaze was fixed on her, and she could feel it. She looked back up at him and gave him another smile. If only everyone in the clan thought the same as he did. "You are so confident Lee-san. I envy you."

Confident? Hot-blooded and determined, sure, but confident? Not really. He was getting better, but years of being told he was worthless didn't just go away over night. He had to remind himself every morning that he was worth something. That he mattered to people now, and they believed in him. "No one can face the whole world all alone, Hinata-san. No one should have to."

Pure instinct kicked in now, and Hinata reached across the table and put her hand on Lee's. She wasn't sure why she did, or even how she did it. She guessed it was because it was Lee-san, she had known him for such a long time now. Or at least knew of him. She also guessed it was because of what her charming younger sister always called her 'mother hen' complex. As soon as she saw that sad look on Lee's face, she couldn't help, but try and make him feel a little better. "I'm not alone Lee-san, and neither are you."

"Not anymore." And he smiled brightly, remembering Guy-sensei, TenTen, and even Neji. They all believed in him now. They were no longer just his dreams. They didn't have to be just Hinata's dreams either. "You know you do not have to prove yourself to us, right Hinata-san? Neji-kun believes in you, and TenTen thinks you are the best kunoichi, after herself." Lee smiled at that, not sure that Hinata would know what a compliment that really was, considering how hard TenTen usually was on those of her own gender. "I believe in you."

Hinata felt her blush creep back and she removed her hand. She gave a slight bow, even though she was sitting. "Thank you Lee-san. That means a lot." And it did. She had no idea that Neji-niisan…or anyone else, believed in her. She had always thought that Neji-niisan had wanted to be the head of the clan, but according to Lee-san...Neji wanted her to be it instead. And now she knew that Lee-san and TenTen-san believed in her as well. She gave him an actual smile. "I won't let you down."

"I do not think you could." And he meant that. Whatever came in the future, whatever dream Hinata chose to pursue—clan head, housewife, or cook—Lee knew she would give it her all and do her very best. She would be successful. She would be amazing to watch. "No, I know you could not." He gave her a thumbs up, accompanied by a bright sparkle. "Everyone will be watching you, Hinata-san, and I know they will see the same strong kunoichi I do."

She moved and started to clean up the dishes. She felt a little dizzy…maybe she needed fresh air. "Are you finished Lee-san?" Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears. Why? Why did she always do this?

Spooning the last few bites in to his mouth, Lee picked up his plate and followed Hinata to the sink. He leaned around her to grab the rag, pinning her between him and the sink when she didn't move. He should get back, but he had time for this. "Let me do the dishes, Hinata-san. You made the food, it is only fair."

She was pinned against a sink…and Lee was pressing her to it. "N-no. Y-you should get back. G-Guy-san will be worried about you." She should move. Really, she should move. But she found she couldn't. Her face was really warm. Everything was warm. She needed fresh air. Quickly.

Laughing, Lee used his upper arms to push her away from the sink. "I have time for this, Hinata-san. I will be finished up in less than ten minutes, honest. I cannot let you do all the work."

Hinata nodded weakly. Normally she would fight harder, but that air thing was sounding better and better. She gave him a quick bow before leaving the room in a hurried manner. She moved the nearest wall aside, so she could reach the outside faster. What was that about? She had never done that around Lee-san before…Ever.

Grinning to himself, Lee quickly finished the dishes, setting them aside to dry in the other side of the sink. He then left the kitchen and, after getting momentarily thrown off by the moved wall, made his way back to Neji's room. Bending down, he snatched the pillow from where it was still lying on the floor and moved over to hand it to his friend. "Feel better soon, Neji-kun. And tell Hinata-san I appreciate her cooking next time you see her. By the way, do you have an umbrella?"

Neji reached up and took the pillow. He dropped his arm with a heavy thunk and dragged the pillow so it was under his head again. It took a moment for his brain to comprehend what Lee had said, much longer than he was used to. Apparently, when he was sick, Lee's hurried speech was in super speed. He nodded barely and pointed over to his closet. "There's a dark blue umbrella in there. It should still work." He muttered into his pillow. If Lee didn't understand him, he could go in the direction his finger told him to.

With a quick shrug, Lee ran over and grabbed the directed umbrella. He really had to get back, Guy-sensei was going to have a his hide for taking so long. "I will see you later, Neji-kun. Tell Hinata-san good-bye for me."

The sickly Hyuuga gave him another small wave before burying himself under his blankets. Sure…he would tell Hinata good-bye, when she came up to visit him again. She was bound to do so. It was also inevitable for his team mates to come and visit him as well later. The more he thought about it…Neji pulled the blanket closer. He had better sleep while he had the chance.

Laughing to himself, Lee opened the umbrella as he ran out the door and back toward the training field. TenTen's face was going to be great when he got there. So great.


	9. TenTen: Lullabye

**A/N:** I'm doing something a little different with the format of this one, and hopefully it won't get to messed up when I put it online. At any rate, I hope you guys enjoy this, even though it's a bit sadder than most of my Curry stories.

I don't like this one at all, but Neji was so cute it's going up anyway.

_**Curry of Love**  
Lull-a-bye_

The ceiling above her head was hungry; a gaping mouth trying to swallow her and the blanket she was curled up under. When she closed her eyes she could almost see the teeth and feel it's hot breathe on her face. It would swallow her whole, and she would fall up forever in to a stomach that had no end. It wasn't anything like the ceiling in Ojisan's house, which was covered with glow in the dark stars they had put up, keeping everything the right direction.

"Bitch. That boy was half your age. Was he for you or for TenTen, huh? Trying to turn her to be just like you, huh? Well, go ahead. The girl is useless to me. She can't avenge my clan. She can't master the limit."

Her father sounded bitter, but he wasn't drunk. For TenTen, that was bad. When he was drunk her father would sit listlessly, not caring what happened in the house, letting himself be swallowed up by it. If he was sober than he would rage and scream back at the dark, and always, always, mourn the fact that she was a girl.

TenTen didn't understand that. Ojisan always said that girls were as strong as boys, but her father said she couldn't master the limit. That no girl ever had, and he wouldn't be the one to break that tradition. She wanted to learn. She wanted to help him go back to the land of silver and snow, when they used to read her bedtime stories and she never had to lay here like she was now-- hungry and cold.

Ojisan was gone on a mission, she didn't know when he'd be back. All she could do is lay here and miss him.

"You're just jealous that his performance was twice yours." Her mother's voice was high and shrill, like a cat when you stepped on his tail, but she was laughing. "And the trash needs no introduction to what I do. She has her own man."

Mother always talked about her and Ojisan like this. Ojisan was hers, but the older she got the more TenTen thought it might not be a good thing when her mother said it that way. She seemed to think that the hugs and kisses she got from Ojisan were wrong in some way. Maybe that was why Mother and Daddy never gave her hugs anymore? Was she to big for them?

"You forget who you belong to, whore," and she could hear the sound of someone being hit, but who hit who she did not know. "Play with your toys, but you are always mine."

_"You know, Hinata was in your place two months ago, TenTen, but she was actually happy about it." She could see Lee frowning at her as she turned this way and that in front of the mirror, smoothing her clothes down over her belly with every small adjustment._

"_Hinata was twice my size two months ago." TenTen muttered, letting her hands fall by her sides. "Shouldn't you be helping her, by the way?"_

"_She and the twins are taking a nap." Lee yawned loudly from his spot on the bed, not bothering to cover his mouth. "I should too, really."_

"_Then go ahead. Neji's on a mission, he won't mind." She laughed a little to herself as she sat down. She could kiss and cuddle Lee all she wanted, and Neji didn't mind, as long as his head didn't go on her lap. It was the one thing Neji couldn't stand to share. She didn't know how they were going to work that when the baby came._

"_Not until I fix whatever is making you so sad." He leaned forward, putting his chin on her shoulder. "Neji will kill me if he comes back and thinks I did this."_

"_I'm not sad."_

"_I do not believe you." _

"_It's nothing. Just some thoughts." Almost on reflex, her hand clenched as it ran over her belly, wrinkling her shirt once again. "The longer he's gone, the more I think about what I'll do if he doesn't come back. Not just from this mission, but any mission. I…I'm not cut out to be a mother. I don't know what I'm doing. What if…"_

"_You're nothing like her." His grip on her hand was surprisingly gentle as he held it between both his own, giving it only the lightest of squeezes. There was a tenderness in his eyes reserved just for her and Hinata, and now their infant twins. A softness that usually went unseen in her hot-tempered best friend. "I promise you, TenTen You'll see that baby, hold it for the first time, and you'll know that you'd do anything to protect her. I know you will. And nothing is going to happen to Neji. I can feel it. He'll come back just fine. You'll see."_

The other kids were staring at her, TenTen could feel it. Thirty pairs of eyes that followed her all the way to her seat in the back corner. Staring at the bruise that covered the left half of her face. Usually her mother was so careful, and never hit here where anyone could see. But TenTen had been careless and walked in the front door without checking whether or not her mother was home with one of her boyfriends. He'd all but fled when he'd found out the woman he was currently involved with had a child, and her mother had been so angry she hadn't even called TenTen any names. She had just hit, anything and everything she could reach.

Her body ached, and sitting was painful, but she could deal with that. A long sleeved shirt covered the bruises on her arms, and it was chilly enough out that no one would question too much. Even if it was the same shirt she'd worn the day before. It was just her face about which she could do nothing.

They were whispering. They always whispered about her dirty clothes and ragged appearance whenever Ojisan was gone on a mission. And he had been gone so long. Almost two months this time. She asked Kakashi-san every day, and he didn't know when to expect him back either. Now Kakashi-san was gone too, and she could only hope it wouldn't be too much longer.

"TenTen, good…" Lee's bright smile faded as she turned to look at him, dark green eyes widening in surprise. "W-what happened? Are you okay?"

"Can you believe it?" She forced a happy laugh. She'd practiced this, made sure it sounded real, so Lee wouldn't have to worry and Ojisan wouldn't get upset if he came home before it faded. "I ran in to a tree on my way home yesterday. I was trying to get home faster than ever, and ran right in to a branch."

"Really?" Lee didn't look completely convinced, but she knew he wouldn't ask any more questions. Hyuuga Neji, who sat on the other side of Lee, muttered something that sounded like 'clumsy' but she ignored him. What did that spoiled Hyuuga brat know anyway? His parents probably gave him hugs and kisses all the time. With only the slightest glare his direction, she sat down and pulled out her homework. It was hard to read, since she'd done it in the dark after her parents finally went to bed, but sensei would still accept it—probably.

Lee leaned forward on his elbows, his braid swishing, and sighed softly. "We're having a ninjutsu test today."

She winced for him, and patted him awkwardly on the back. "Don't worry, Lee. You'll get through it." They both would.

_Neji was tickling the baby with his chakra again, making it squirm in her belly. Just the lightest of touches with his chakra against the baby's would send it kicking and flipping against her insides. Worse still, the extra energy supporting the baby tended to make TenTen feel sleepy; like for the first time in six months all of her could fully rest. Neji found this endlessly amusing, and would attack her with it whenever he could._

_She watched, her eyes half-closed, as Neji's hand circled her swollen abdomen, fingers brushing over and through points with accuracy that would have been deadly had he not been so gentle._

"_Neji," her quiet murmur surprised even TenTen herself, as she'd never intended to speak what was on her mind aloud, "are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"_

_Pale eyes blinked up at her from where Neji had been resting his head on the rise of her belly. He didn't even pause to think before answering. "Girl."_

_The question may not have phased Neji, but his answer shocked his young wife. "Really? How come?"_

"_I know what goes on in the minds of teenage boys," Neji stated simply, a small smirk on his face._

_TenTen hit him lightly upside the head, succeeding mostly in just flipping some of his hair into his face. "I'm serious."_

"_So am I." His smile had softened in to something a little more genuine as he pulled his hair back again. "I can't think of anything I'd like better than to have a strong beautiful daughter just like her mother."_

_She swallowed heavily against the sudden closing of her throat and stifled something that anyone who didn't know her better might have called a sob. Her free hand reached up, tangling itself slightly in Neji's hair and giving it a gentle pull—her way of telling him thank you._

_Something that might, maybe, have been called a grin split Neji's face. "Beside, Hiashi-sama cursed me to have only daughters a long time ago, and I really think he'll find a way to make it come true."_

"_What did you do to make him do that?" TenTen smiled lazily, allowing her fingers to play with the ends of her husband's long hair. It wasn't fair for anyone to have hair this beautiful and fun to play with. Really._

"_Convinced Hinata-sama she was dying of a terrible disease the first time she had her cycle." Neji stated simply, rolling away to avoid the fist aimed at his head._

"_Neji, you didn't."_

_A low soft chuckle escaped her husband as he hesitantly put his hand back on her stomach, resuming his game with their unborn child. "She ran crying to Hiashi-sama. He was furious with me, and cursed me to have only daughters. Between him and your making all my y-chromosomes run in fear, I figure it's pretty much a sure thing."_

_He didn't dodge the fist coming his way that time._


	10. GuyTen: Caramel

**A/N:** This comes from discussing Guy pairings with a very dear friend of mine, and how no Guy pairing would be complete without a bit of interference from his team and a bit of chaos. This is from the tail end of that discussion, and hopefully you can all enjoy it. It's not exactly how she imagined it, I'm sure, but I thought it more likely this way. Hope you enjoy it anyway, IR!

In case you're following both stories—Jai Ho and this one, while the 'canon' of it is similar, it is not exactly the same. There is one event different, discussed in this chapter, which changes quite a lot. Just, you know, so you don't get confused.

Probably should have explained this earlier, for those that don't know. The suffix of –hime is used for a Princess in Japan. So, when Guy calls her TenTen-hime, he's pretty much calling her Princess.

_**Curry of Love**  
Caramel_

Alright, so, this wasn't a permanent solution by any means. It wasn't, TenTen knew, even all that great of a temporary solution, but it was the only one she had. She didn't have the money for an apartment of her own, and Lee had no space for her and Neji, being her boyfriend, wasn't really an option. He could probably find a place for her somewhere in the Hyuuga compound, but asking him would have been awkward and…anyway, she was alright. As a really young girl she'd always dreamed of building herself a tree house in one of the big oaks by the training fields, and living there when Guy-sensei wasn't around. Now she was just living that dream, right? True, her tree house at the moment was a few boards she'd taken from someone's scrap pile that had been hastily lashed between two thick branches, but for now it would work for a sixteen-year-old kunoichi and her stuffed Panda.

A year ago, she'd taken a severe beating from her mother that even she could not explain away completely, and her secret life with her parents and what they were and did came out for everyone to see. On Tsunade's orders she'd moved in with Guy-sensei, and he'd become her official guardian. That was fine with TenTen, really, since he was the closest thing to a parent she'd ever had. But things were different now.

Neji, Lee, and herself were all quite capable ninja now, and it wasn't uncommon for Tsunade to send just the three of them out for B-rank missions, and keep Guy home in case he was needed. They had just finished up a month long bandit catching mission, and TenTen had taken a short-cut through the park to get home after separating from the boys.

That was when she'd seen them. Guy-sensei and Shizune-san, sitting together on a bench.

Alone, that wouldn't have been enough to do more than make her pause. What made her stop and stare from her spot behind a bush had been what Guy-sensei was wearing; actually, what he wasn't wearing. Because it was not his usual bright green spandex. Instead he'd been wearing a white collared shirt, with the top three buttons undone, and a tie the same color as his spandex hanging undone around his neck. Topping off the strange sight had been a pair of charcoal colored slacks and white tennis shoes.

And his glasses which, to TenTen's knowledge, he'd never worn in public before.

Perhaps worse than all that, though, had been the way they were sitting. With their knees touching, and Guy-sensei's arm slung on the bench behind her and lightly touching her shoulder. It was…disturbing to say the least. Certain that this was another badly done henge—although how they would have convinced Shizune-san if it was, she didn't know—TenTen crouched down lower, determined to find out exactly what was going on.

"They didn't really do that, did they?" Shizune was laughing, one hand just peeking out from the long sleeves of her dark blue shirt to cover her mouth as she did so. "I mean, that poor cat. I know we give out that mission often, but even so…"

"I think the theory was that if the cat was more afraid of us than the Daimyo's wife, it would stop running away." Guy-sensei scratched his head, a sheepish grin on his face. "All that did was make it run from us faster the next time we were supposed to catch it."

She knew this story. It was about her and the boys as genin when they'd decided to give the cat genin were always sent to get a bath before returning it to the Daimyo's wife, since it, and them, had had a run in with a skunk over the course of the chase. It had not ended very well, and for a short period of time Neji had been forced to run around with bandages over his eyes because they'd been so badly scratched. It was a much more amusing story now then it had been at the time, and Guy-sensei didn't seem to tire of telling it to anyone who would listen. This meant Kakashi-sensei. Several times over, because he was too lazy to move.

"They sound like such a handful," Shizune laughed again, shaking her head. "Are they always that much trouble?"

"Worse." Guy-sensei shook his head and sighed. "Every time I turn around they're in to something else. You remember bandaging them after the cake making incident, don't you?"

Oh, yes, the time they'd blown out the outside wall of Guy-sensei's apartment in an attempt to make him a birthday cake. How they'd manage to make the oven explode, the three of them still didn't know, and all of them still had scars from the shrapnel, though luckily none of them had been badly hurt. One trip to the hospital to make sure all of them really did still have all their pieces, and an hour long lecture on the danger of kitchen appliances, had ensured Guy-sensei got store bought cupcakes every year since then.

"If it makes you feel better, I see the others in the hospital just as much, and usually for similar reasons. Just the other day, Kiba-kun was attempting some new jutsu with Akamaru, and he managed to get his head stuck in a log. It took Sakura-chan to get him out, and even then we had to dig splinters as long as my finger from his skin." Shizune rolled her eyes but grinned. "I guess that's what being a kid is, huh? We kind of all missed that."

Guy-sensei made a soft noise of agreement, his fingers no longer brushing her shoulder but giving it a firm squeeze. "I am grateful for that, every day. They have seen and experienced much, but all of them are still just goofy children."

This was too weird. If she didn't know better, TenTen would have sworn that Guy and Shizune were on a date. Except that Guy-sensei had not been on single date since she'd known him, and that was over a decade now. Which, once she thought about it, was really rather sad, but if he was intending to date he would have told her. He would have told her because they were a family, sort of, and you didn't just date people without telling the people that mattered to you, did you? No, that would just be wrong. Neji had even asked Guy-sensei permission before asking her out on a date, and if he could go to all that trouble knowing how the Jounin would react, then certainly he'd have the courtesy to tell them, his team, if and when he chose to start dating again.

Shizune leaned forward, putting her head against Guy's shoulder, and TenTen found herself doubting what she'd just managed to convince herself of. "Speaking of children, yours should be here soon, and we still have some preparations to finish up."

It was like someone had turned one of her own freezing techniques against her as TenTen felt her insides twist and freeze that way as Guy-sensei laughed and nodded. That was almost certainly a date pose. And Guy-sensei had no children. Well, Lee was often mistaken for his son, but that was just silliness and Shizune-san of all people would know that Guy-sensei was much too young for that. Except that would mean that she could mean only one thing with that statement.

Up until now she had been willing to give Guy-sensei the benefit of the doubt. It was entirely plausible that he could have started dating Shizune in the month the three of them had been gone. She could deal with that. What Shizune had just implied, though. That they…that she was…that wouldn't happen in a month. No way would Guy-sensei move that fast. If he did. At all. She couldn't really be pregnant if they'd only been dating a month, but she'd said that, and it sounded just like she meant she was and, what the hell was she supposed to DO with that? Not telling them she could maybe forgive, if he had a good reason, but this? This was something else.

Confused and hurt, she hadn't been able to stay any longer and had raced off toward the apartment she had shared with her sensei and guardian for so long now. Once inside, she nearly tripped over one of Guy-sensei's weights that he had, again, left out by the door, and knocked over the extra large scroll she had left standing there. For the first time she had noticed just how small their apartment was. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, and the main living room and kitchen.

Where would a baby go? Because Guy-sensei would certainly marry Shizune. He wanted kids, she knew that. Guy-sensei was a family person, and there is no way he'd back out of something like that. No, Shizune and her…their…child would be moving in eventually. But where? Guy-sensei's room was mostly filled with his large bed and work out equipment, and TenTen's room was more office than bedroom. She had a futon and the closet, but the rest was taken up mostly by a large oak desk that had once belonged to Guy-sensei's father, a book shelf filled with Taijutsu theory and children's picture books, a lamp, and a comfy chair.

There wasn't space for a baby, never mind another woman and all the stuff that she and a baby were bound to come with. You couldn't even fit a crib in the living room between the couch, love seat, and other things that had been stuffed in there to have enough seats for all four of them. Guy-sensei always talked about moving in to a bigger place, but she knew he couldn't actually afford it. Who knew what the Hokage's assistant was paid. Would Tsunade even let her keep her job after this? Would Guy-sensei?

Getting the Hokage's trusted assistant pregnant seemed like a pretty big whoops to her.

If it came down to choosing, TenTen knew in her heart where it would end. Taking in some random kid off the street and feeding her sometimes was one thing, taking her in full time a year ago had been life altering again, and there would be a big difference between her and a baby that was really and truly his. A perfect, innocent little baby that wasn't damaged and broken. That didn't cause trouble just to hear him say he loved her when they made up or see him defend her from others because he actually thought she was worth it. A child that wouldn't talk back and push and shove and throw tantrums because they were frightened of him getting to close and then hurting her; wanting him to prove that he thought she was worth fighting for.

Guy-sensei didn't need or deserve that kind of aggravation. He deserved a loving normal family, a happy wife and kids that could love him without holding anything back, the way Guy-sensei loved everyone. The way she couldn't.

When it came right down to it, there was really only one logical choice for everyone involved.

That was how she, Panda, and her backpack full of things she could actually call her own had wound up leaving before Guy-sensei had returned and building themselves a tree house. It wasn't, she had discovered, nearly as fun or as practical as she had dreamed as a kid. The complete lack of bathroom facilities, for example, was going to be a problem. She was a ninja, and could deal for the short term, but for months?

"Okay, so this wasn't my most well-thought out move." TenTen growled down to the stuffed animal sitting next to her. Panda, of course, kept his opinion on the matter to himself. That had never yet stopped her from talking things through with her most trusted confidant. "But do I really have a choice? Sooner or later something was going to have to change. It really should be sooner, so that I can get something worked out. I can't afford an apartment yet, but you know, a few more high rank missions a month, and we'd manage. Or you could get a job. Pay your part of the rent."

She glared down at Panda, who smiled back up at her with his one remaining eye. Dumb bear. The least he could do was have an idea now and then.

"Or," said a voice from the branch above her head, "you could just come home."

TenTen whirled around so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash, and she automatically reached both for her scroll to attack and Panda, to defend him. She was halfway through unleashing her arsenal before it processed that she knew that voice. "G-Guy-sensei?"

The Jounin dropped down, landing in front of her without any of his usual flair or even a smile. Instead, he just looked at her sadly. "TenTen, what are you doing? I've been looking all over for you. I saw the boys on my way home, but when I got there you weren't. Do you know how worried I've been?"

Ah. Maybe she should have left a note or something. Would have been so much easier than trying to explain in person how she knew what she wasn't supposed to. "Oh, well, you know, I just…Panda wanted a change of scenery, and if three's a crowd I don't know what four—five—would be, so…"

Guy-sensei's expression clearly told her what she already knew; that she was making no sense whatsoever. "Let's try that again. What are you doing out here, TenTen? You should be home, sleeping. Lee and Neji looked ready to drop. Instead, you're out here. Up a tree. Why?"

Usually, she had a million and one lies for her teacher. Not all of them were good, and most of the time she went with obvious lies so he could catch her in them. It was almost a game for them. She didn't want to really lie to him, though she usually could, but she didn't want to confess to doing something she knew he would disapprove of either. It was a compromise, and Guy-sensei knew that.

This was different though. This was a hurt that was raw and his just being here was pouring salt all over it. Why was he acting like he cared so much, when he hadn't even cared enough to tell her about his new girlfriend? He'd had to have lied to her, snuck around, and the thought that he was capable of that almost brought tears to her eyes. Only years of scolding herself for any amount of eye moister saved her.

A lesson Guy-sensei always drilled in to their heads came to mind now. The only way to drag out something hidden in darkness is to turn on the light. Maybe he had lied about it, but, childishly, she was clinging to the hope that there was some totally rational explanation that she couldn't think of that would make this all go away. She was sixteen, she knew better, but she still wanted Guy-sensei to do what he did best and make the world right again, somehow.

"I was walking through the park to get home faster." Surprisingly, her voice didn't shake as she spoke, but her grip on Panda tightened considerably. It was amazing to her that bear was still mostly in one piece. "I saw you on your…with…with Shizune-san."

In the faded moonlight, she could see that he'd changed back in to his spandex, and her lips quirked in to a smile. Must have taken looking for her quite seriously, if he'd gone back in to his ninja clothes.

The puzzled look on Guy-sensei's face morphed in to something a little more sheepish. He even actually blushed, which would have been funny if it didn't hurt so much. This was the side of sensei only those close to him got to see, and she loved that she was part of that. She didn't want to lose it. "You saw Shizune and me? I was going to tell you, as soon as you got back. We thought you'd be another few days…"

What that had to do with anything, she didn't know, but it hurt enough listening to him talk that her eyes watered, so she cut him off. Crying was not acceptable. Not ever. "You looked like you were having a lovely time. Shizune-san is a very nice woman. I'm sure you'll have a great life together."

Even in the moonlight, she could see how red his face got, and Guy looked away from her obviously flustered. "Life together? We've only been dating three weeks, it is a bit soon to be talking about that, don't you think?"

Three weeks. There was no way that was possible. None at all. Even given that something drastic had happened the first time they'd gone out, she wouldn't know she was…expecting.

But they had gone on that mission together a while back. Maybe something had happened then and that's why they were dating now? It seemed careless, but undercover missions could get out of hand and take unexpected turns. It wasn't like Guy-sensei carried con-…ugh; she didn't want to think about it. Even trying to made her skin crawl. "Soon, yeah, definitely, but that's kind of what happens when two people start a family. They spend their lives caught in it."

That's what her parents had always resented most, after all. That after having a child they were stuck with it even when their lives fell apart and they hate it. Children don't just go away because you want them too. Even when they want to.

"Start a family?" She could almost see the question mark above Guy-sensei's head as he stared at her. "TenTen, what are you talking about?"

"You don't have to lie. I heard the whole thing. And I understand, I really do. Which is why I left, because you'll want room for the baby, and it's no big deal, I get it, and I hope you three will be very happy together." She tried to smile, but found that closing her eyes actually made the tears come to the corner of her eyes. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

She didn't see him reaching out, so when he grabbed her shoulders and gave them a tight squeeze it took her off guard enough to open her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Guy-sensei look so sad. "You think Shizune and I are going to have a baby, and that I wouldn't want you around?"

So he had managed to make some sense out of her babbling. That was probably a good thing. Might even make this good-bye easier. She'd have to request to be taken off Team Guy, because this just hurt too much. She nodded, dropping her eyes to the top of Panda's head. "It's nothing personal, I know. You'll just finally be getting that family you've always wanted, and I don't want to put any extra baggage on your relationship or anything. It'll be easier for you without me, and it's no big deal. I understand, and I can take care of myself. I…"

Further explanation, or protest if you preferred, was cut off by Guy-sensei pulling her in to a hug so tight it forced the air from her lungs, and she could feel his hands clenching painfully tight in her shirt. "No, TenTen, you don't understand, at all, and I'm sorry. I don't know what you heard to make you think…but even if it were true, the last thing I'd want is for you to leave. Any baby of mine will always need their big sister."

For the second time that night, TenTen thought her heart had totally stopped in her chest. Had she been able to move enough, she probably would have checked her own pulse just to be sure it was still there. As it was all she could do was let Panda fall from her hands and roll limply on to the boards.

Guy-sensei pulled back a little, letting her see the tears in his eyes. They weren't his manly tears he cried when something was touching or when he was happy. These were different, and caused a kind of ache in her chest. He leaned forward again, bumping their foreheads lightly together. "I don't need Shizune or a baby to have a family, TenTen. You should know that family is you, and Lee, and Neji. Anything more than that…" he shook his head, causing hers to follow. "I don't know where things will go with Shizune, but it doesn't need to be anywhere. I have what I need in the three of you. You, and your happiness, are what's important to me."

"But…" all her logical and well-thought out arguments were turning to smoke and blowing away in the wind caused by his words in the still night. "But I—we—are so broken and all I do is cause trouble. On purpose. I do it on purpose, you know, and you don't need that when you could have something better."

"What have I told you about thinking anyone is better than you, TenTen-hime?" His voice and eyes were stern, but he didn't need to say anything else as it was a lecture she already knew by heart. Some days she believed it, some days she couldn't, but she'd never thought of it applying to persons that didn't yet exist. "Doesn't matter who it was, or how many, if you weren't there my family would be incomplete. I promise you that. I finally have you safe, and no one can make you leave anymore."

The exhaustion from the mission caught up with her suddenly, and that alone was the reason she leaned in to his hug and put her head on his shoulder. It certainly wasn't to hide tears, because she wasn't crying. It was dew making her face damp, nothing else. "How can you be sure? How do you know you won't love them more, and I'll just—"

Again he cut her off by tightening the hug to the point she could not properly speak. "Because it is impossible for me to love anyone more than you, little missy. And don't forget it."

She managed a laugh that, if it sounded a little choked and wet it was not commented on. "Okay. I won't."

They stayed like that for a little while longer before Guy-sensei pulled away, handing her Panda and grabbing her backpack. "Is this really everything you own in here?" He frowned at it, spinning the bag a little in his hands as if testing the weight. "We should fix that. Buy you so many things it would be impossible for you to carry it all if you ever decide to leave again." He smiled at her as she giggled, the slightest of sparkles going with it. "Now, what on earth did you hear that made you think Shizune and I…"

"She said your child was on the way, and you still had preparations." Now it was TenTen's turn to blush and look away. "I left after…what are you laughing at?"

Because Guy-sensei was laughing. She could see his shoulders shaking as he tried to contain it, but in moments it had bubbled over, escaping in one of his loud, long, deep laughs as he pulled her, this time reluctantly in to another hug. It was several more moments before he got himself under control enough to mutter in her hair, "she was talking about you, TenTen. You and the boys. We were going to have a dinner so you and Shizune could be properly introduced outside of work, and I would tell you all we were dating. She's very excited to get to know all of you."

With a groan, TenTen attempted to bury her face completely in her teacher's large chest. When he said it like that it made so much sense. "Panda tried to tell me I was over reacting."

Like he always did whenever she brought the bear in to the conversation, Guy chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Such a wise bear, Panda. You should listen to him more. He's supposed to replace me, after all."

TenTen held Panda close to her chest, closing her eyes and just letting herself be hugged for a few moments longer. Panda had been her best friend as a young child, and she still treasured him, but a stuffed bear was no replacement for her favorite person. And no baby could replace her either. No sentence had ever been sweeter. "Let's go home, Guy-sensei."


	11. GuyTen: Golden

**A/N:** My sister and I came up with this idea kind of randomly, but I really like it. I wasn't sure which direction to go with it, but I think GuyTen was probably the best choice, don't you?

There is a second part to this one that I'll get up…eventually…

_**Curry of Love**  
Golden_

She'd never seen such a beautiful country. For days TenTen and her team had been traveling from island to island. In some places the water had been a pale blue green, and in others a near inky black. When on land, it had been even better; tall mountains, chilly lakes and run off streams, and tall trees in more shapes and sizes than even Konoha had.

Part of her thought she loved this place only because of its beauty, but she knew it was also at least partly because this had once been her home. She had few, if any, real memories of the small village she had spent the first four years of her life, but she knew that once her family had been happy there. Her parents had loved and played with her then, she was sure of it, and that was enough to make anything beautiful.

The Chuunin Exams were being held in Kirigakure this time; something Lee had been excited about as they hadn't been out of the village much the last few months. Teams 10 and 8 had both decided against participating this time, feeling they needed another six months to prepare, leaving Team Guy to travel alone. This suited the four of them just fine. Kirigakure was only two days away now, and Guy-sensei had decided it would do them some good to rest and do some training in the cooler, moister climate. For this purpose they had stopped in a small village nestled at the bottom of a single tall mountain.

To Lee and Guy-sensei this meant seeing if they could run to the top of said mountain, while Neji had settled in the tree outside the inn to meditate. Originally, TenTen had meant to use the tree—and him—as target practice, but found herself to distracted by the scenery. Instead, she chose to get acclimated by wandering around the village and taking in the sights.

"It's so quiet here," TenTen smiled to herself, not minding the mud sticking to her shoes from the wet street at all. "I wonder if we have villages like this in fire country."

It certainly wasn't a rich village, with the rows of small wooden buildings and no metal in sight, but it was comfortable. Lazy feeling, even, with the people walking by her seeming in no hurry at all, and no one paying any attention to the children that ran by. Pleasant, that's what she would call it. She could stay here forever like this and not mind a bit.

"Oh dear." The cry of distress from down the road caught TenTen's attention, and she glanced up at an old lady stumbling along a head of her. The poor tiny woman had her arms full of bags, which were quickly slipping from her grip. Guy-sensei had always taught them to help anyone in need, and it was without a thought that TenTen darted forward and caught two of the bags before they could land in a puddle.

"Let me help you carry these home, ma'am." TenTen smiled shifting the bag in her arms. She could only see the top of the lady's silver hair as she nodded.

"Thank you very much, dear. It's not much further, but these old arms just aren't what they used to be."

True to the old lady's word, she turned into a small house only a hundred yards away. The door was unlocked, so TenTen pushed it open, setting the bags on the nearest flat surface she could find. "Is there alright?"

"Of course, of course." The woman put her bags down on the floor beside the little table TenTen had used, and started digging through her purse. "But you must let me pay you. It's not every day a bright young thing like you helps an old lady. Should be rewarded."

"Really, it was no trouble…" The lady was reaching for her purse anyway, and TenTen mentally shrugged. A little extra money wouldn't hurt. She'd run out of the spending money Guy-sensei gave her a couple of days ago, and she had been unwilling to ask him for more.

The old woman had opened her purse, but when she looked up she froze. An odd look of grief and anger crossed the woman's face, and for a moment TenTen was afraid the woman had had a stroke. Then she moved, faster than TenTen would have thought possible, and gave. "Murderer! Cursed one! Get out of my house."

"What?" Murderer? This woman was either crazy—a distinct possibility with such a wild personality switch—or had her confused with someone else. It was TenTen's own personal rule to never take a life if she could avoid it, and to this day she had not done so.

The woman shoved her again, and TenTen stumbled back, knocking her head painfully against the still open door. She hadn't recovered from the momentary disorientation before she was shoved again, even harder this time, and she stumbled back into the front yard, tripping over the steps backwards. TenTen felt her ankle twist painfully. Her back hit the dirt as she landed with a small skid.

"Daughter of filth. Of murderers. Get out of my home! Murderer!" The old woman's voice increased in volume as she came out on to the porch, brandishing a cane. "Away slime. Keep your cursed blood away from us."

What was this woman going on about? Cursed blood? Sure, her parents were horrid, even TenTen knew that, but there was no way this woman could.

The weatherworn face of a middle-aged man with short dark hair peered over the fence, obviously curious about what was going on. "Akane-obaasan, is everything alright?"

"Look," and the old woman pointed at where TenTen was struggling to get to her feet. "Look at her eyes! She is a blood limit demon. The worst kind of cursed."

"What's wrong with my eyes?" Her father had a Mist blood limit, she knew that, but what it was remained a mystery to her. She certainly didn't have eyes like Neji's that were distinctive enough to make his clan affiliation clear. At least, she didn't think so.

The man was over the fence in moments. At first she thought he was going to help her, but he seized TenTen's arm and yanked her painfully to her feet. She stumbled to get some footing, but he didn't give her a chance, instead holding her up with her arm while his other hand yanked her head back by her hair so he could look in her eyes.

Whatever he saw must have confirmed what the woman said, as TenTen suddenly found herself thrown out into the street, mud splashing up on her face and clothing. People had stopped to stare; she could feel them, as she struggled once more to her feet. It was too painful to put weight on her left foot, but she managed to get upright before the man and old woman reached the edge of the yard.

"We don't want your kind here." The man's voice was low and held an unmistakable threat of danger. "Didn't you bring enough pain to this village already?"

She was trembling, probably from the shock of such a dramatic change in the people around her, but TenTen refused to move. From the suddenly dark air around her, she was sure there was nowhere for her to go anyway. "I have done nothing wrong."

"Liar," the old woman was all out screaming now. "Blood demon. Monster. Your kind killed my son. All the children in the village. Destroyed them all with no remorse. Heartless murderers. Child-slayers."

"I wasn't here for that." Her protests felt small against the suddenly suffocating killing intent around her. She hadn't done anything, she knew that, why were they so angry? Even if she did have her father's limit, whatever it was, she wasn't there for any of this. They had to know that, from her headband, from her age. She opened her mouth, to remind them of this, but was cut off by a sudden sharp pain to the back of her head. Her hand shot up and she stumbled, looking around for what had struck her. A smooth round stone was the only thing lying at her feet.

It was like a cue for the nightmare to really start. Suddenly, everyone was yelling, and she was being struck from every direction with remarkable speed. She thought briefly of pulling out her scrolls, of fighting back and making them stop, but she couldn't. She knew without much thought that if she pulled out her weapons, tried to fight back, it would fuel their fear and make the situation worse. As it was, she could only throw her hands up to try and protect her face while hunching over to keep her ribs and organs protected.

Rocks pelted her arms, slammed into her shoulder blades. There would be bruises at least, and as the size of the rocks increased, so did her fear. They were going to try and kill her like this, if they could. With everyone yelling at her, some of them just wordless shouts, she could only catch a few words. Blood monster seemed to be the common theme. Death to the slayers.

The screaming and cries for her death continued until her arms were numb with pain, and enough of the stones had slid past her defenses to make breathing difficult with bruised ribs, when strong arms slid around her shoulders, and the thumping pains on her body stopped. As the crowds cries faded, she peeked her eyes open, and found herself staring at an expanse of green.

She continued looking up, and she gasped a little when she recognized the strong jaw and concerned dark eyes of Guy-sensei. "W-where…"

Guy smiled at her, wiping a little mud off her face, before he stood and turned to face the crowd. "This girl is a ninja of Konoha, and under my protection. Continuing to attack her would be an act of war." It was Guy-sensei's serious voice, the one he only used on missions that all three of them couldn't help listening to. "I am sure that none of you want that."

"We don't want her kind her, either," someone from the crowd yelled, and a few people murmured their agreement.

The arms around her shoulders tightened ever so slightly. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get her attention. To let her know that he was there beside her. "Let me tend to my student, and my team and I will be out of here by nightfall." He whispered in a voice so low that TenTen doubted even she was supposed to hear, "wouldn't want to stay here anyway."

There had never been a statement she agreed more with, and TenTen allowed her sensei to pick her up without protest. She was too big for this, she knew, and not seriously hurt. She should walk, she probably could, and once they were away from the crowd that had gathered, she would ask. For now, she needed his protection, and she knew it. She let her head fall against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat under her ear. No one could hurt her when Guy-sensei was around, not even her parents.

Blocks away, when she was certain they weren't being followed, TenTen raised her head. "You can put me down, sensei, I'm alright."

He made no move to, but then she wasn't sure she had expected it. It was always difficult to get him to let go of one of them when he thought they needed protection. That was just Guy-sensei. The silence between them continued for another half a block, before Guy-sensei whispered, "do you know what that was about?"

"Not really." Since Guy-sensei was whispering, and he never really whispered, she thought she should as well. "Something about a blood limit, and murdering of…of children. My Dad has some kind of blood limit, so I suppose I might." She swallowed hard, letting her head rest on his shoulder again. "They called me cursed."

Guy stopped, and turned her easily so she was facing him, their foreheads touching lightly together. "TenTen, my little flower, you know you aren't, don't you? Wasn't it you who always told Neji that he should not let his family control his destiny, and that past is past?"

The smile that worked its way on to her face was small, but genuine. Guy-sensei and his ridiculous nicknames. She wanted to say that this was different, but even she could not see how. She knew, she KNEW, she had done none of those things they had all been so angry about. She didn't even know what the limit was. So…why did she feel so guilty? "I know, sensei."

"I don't think you do." And he brushed back her bangs with his finger tips. She tried not to wince when they touch the bump left by the first rock, but here it is hard. "What they did to you was wrong, TenTen. You cannot doubt that."

He'd always said the same thing about her mother, too. That what she did was wrong. What she said was untrue. That TenTen was none of the things she said she was. This should have been easier to accept then that, but it felt the same. Felt like they were seeing something in TenTen that she herself could not. The real self that she tried to hide in her faith and her smiles.

She would keep smiling too. Like she would smile now, and lock that hurt away somewhere until it became nothing more than a dull ache that came up sometime. She could play this game. "I know, Guy-sensei. Honest, I do. There is no destiny, right? My blood will not control me. But, how did you know I needed you?"

It was enough to make him smile, even if he didn't believe her fully. Guy chuckled to himself, shifting her so he could put a cheek to the top of her head. "I'd like to take full credit for that, but I cannot. Neji saw you were in trouble. He came and got me."

Neji…she'd have to thank him later. And thank him for getting Guy-sensei, too, because he was the only one that could possibly understand.

"We'll get you bandaged up back at the inn, and then continue our journey tonight. I think I've had quite enough of this place."

She glanced around, at the scenery that had seemed so ideal before, but now reminded her of the silence of a tomb, and she shuddered. "Me too, sensei."


	12. GuyTen: Angel Without Wings

**A/N:** This came from a doujinshi I started that had TenTen begging Neji to take her on the Sasuke Retrieval mission, because she'd done a fortune telling for him and seen death in his future and it was cool. I showed it to my sister, we talked, and this came up. Thus, story. Yay.

This one, like Golden, will have a second part at some point. When I'm more able to write.

_**Curry of Love**  
Angel Without Wings_

Tears were streaming down the TenTen's face as she struggled to stand, her breath coming in raw painful gasps. Guy had been watching her for the last hour, but she had been training longer than that he was sure. Her clothes and bear arms were coated in mud from the patches she had worn in the grass around the training dummy, and her hands and ankles were bloody from the training she had pushed herself through. The exhaustion around her was nearly tangible and it was only a matter of time before she collapsed.

He should have seen this coming. The more Guy watched the young kunoichi in front of him struggle to get up against the rain to start a new attack on the training dummy, the more he realized that he should have realized what he was doing and stopped this inevitable break down.

TenTen was hurting, and it was his fault.

Maybe not entirely his fault, but he hadn't helped. Had he even been halfway paying attention he would have been able to spare her this pain. It might be the guilt of knowing this that was the reason he was still hiding behind the bushes instead of out there stopping her.

Nothing had been going right for his team since he'd let Kakashi talk him into entering his team in the Chuunin exam. They weren't ready, he knew that, and he in no way expected them to pass. He had made an irresponsible decision in letting his desire to compete with Kakashi over take the logic that told him his children needed another year of hard training before it was a sure thing they would get through unharmed.

A handful of kunai that went wide their mark, and an anguished scream of frustration from his girl. Almost, it made him sick to watch.

Until now, however, he had not regretted it. Maybe Guy had been blind to the cost, but the new resolution in Lee's eyes and the quiet way Neji was letting go of the pain in his past had seemed worth all the pain they had suffered. But TenTen's broken sobs…

Guy hadn't seen her in the hospital after her fight with Temari. Lee had needed him, and by the time the boy had been stable TenTen had already been healed and released. Perhaps that was what had started the problem. TenTen had told him it was fine, and foolishly he had believed her. That she would release the pain of such a defeat and the heartbreak of waking alone.

After that he had seen little of TenTen, but had depended on her probably more than ever. He'd hoped to teach Neji a lesson by refusing to train with the boy until he had apologized to Hinata and made restitution. Neji had flat out refused, however, and Guy had been forced to carry through with his threat. He could not, however, just leave the boy completely alone, and had asked TenTen to train with him as much as she was able.

What that meant, it seemed, was every day from before she got up until he returned home to find her sleeping soundly, completely worn out, on the couch.

The moments he spent carrying her to bed was the only time he would see her at all during that month, except for the times she would stop by to see Lee. A visit from TenTen did wonders to lift his spirit, and Guy always appreciated the moments she would come. It was one thing to hear from your sensei that everything will be alright, and quite another to hear it from your teammate who is known for her blunt honesty.

She had even, once or twice, been the one that Guy counted on to remind him that he hadn't failed as a teacher.

When the realization that once he'd taught something he could not then unteach it, that promise or no Lee's life was in danger simply from knowing the techniques that Guy had taught him, had finally caught up with him in a choking painful wave. When it had occurred to him for the first time that whether Lee meant to or not those techniques could have possibly killed Neji, something Guy had never meant to happen. When all he wanted was to ask Sandaime to find his students someone else, someone saner, better, safer, to be their teacher, it was TenTen that had saved him. She who had crawled up next to him on his bed and wrapped thin arms around his chest, holding him as he sobbed into her hair. She who had let herself be held, and just by her presence in his apartment remind him why he could not give up, no matter how many mistakes he made.

It was only supposed to be for a month. Then Neji would either be a chuunin or not in need of the special training. Things would return to normal.

TenTen stumbled, sliding on the mud, and landed hard against the stump her dummy was tied to, but she didn't fall. It was that same determined spirit that had kept her going all this time. And he'd been as sympathetic, as helpful, as that dummy was now. If she'd painted his face on it, maybe he would have felt a little better. Then at least he'd know she was mad at him.

Guy hadn't expected the invasion. He hadn't expected Neji to need to readjust his world view, or the death of Sandaime who had been a protector and guardian for all three of his little ones. He hadn't planned on Lee losing some of the hope he had gained after watching Sasuke's fight. The endless missions he would be sent on to try and make the village look strong, leaving TenTen alone to do what she could with the fragments of their team.

He couldn't see it then, but in hind sight it was all too easy. Neji needed guidance while trying to reevaluate his world and what he was worth, but Guy hadn't been there to give him that. It was certain that Neji wasn't emotionally strong enough to help Lee as he faced months of little improvement and the loss of Sandaime—one of his greatest allies in his dream of becoming a strong ninja.

It was TenTen that had stepped up and supported the two of them. She, who had made sure they felt safe and wanted, ensured they were taken care of, reminded that those we love never fully leave. TenTen who, he knew now, had not given herself time to grieve for the man who had turned a blind eye to her staying in her sensei's house and bent the rules to allow her to be on Guy's team in spite of their nearly family relationship. Had done several D-rank missions on her own to keep Team Guy active in the village so they would not be disbanded while Guy was away, Neji was receiving special training from his uncle, and Lee was recovering.

It had been too much to ask of any young girl, and it had only gotten worse after Tsunade returned. It had hurt her desperately, Guy knew, to have Tsunade turn down TenTen's request to train with the older kunoichi once the Hokage saw how abysmal her chakra control was. To have her inform TenTen that until she learned that she would never be a good kunoichi. But he hadn't had the chance to help her, when Lee needed him desperately as he faced the impossible choice of living without dreams, without value, and death.

Then he'd been gone for Lee's surgery, either by Tsunade's design to keep him from dying with Lee if the worst happened or to just keep him out of the way he did not know. It had fallen on Neji and TenTen to get their third teammate, and themselves, through as best they could.

He had still been away when Sasuke left, taking Neji with him in pursuit. According to the attendants at the hospital, Lee and TenTen had been walking by when Genma and his team where brought in from their encounter with the Sound Ninja. According to Lee, TenTen had reacted violently when she'd heard the kind of danger Neji was in, and it was because of her terror that Lee had gone after the group, to ensure the safety of his friend—leaving TenTen completely alone.

Guy hadn't even been there when Neji and Lee were brought back to the village by the Sand Ninja and the medical team Tsunade had sent after Shikamaru's. He'd only found her when he'd rushed to Neji's room, to where she was sitting outside, waiting desperately for news. She had followed them from the gate, asking for information about her friend and receiving nothing but scorn from Temari about allowing herself to be left behind.

It all seemed so obvious, now, that she had to break. It was too much to ask of anyone, never mind a girl of barely thirteen. Lately she had seemed so strong; he had forgotten what a fragile little girl really was. Even now he'd failed her, having not noticed she was missing from Neji's bedside as he regaled Lee with tales of his missions until hours later.

Even now, he couldn't make himself step forward as he watched her rage against the storm and the training dummy before her. When had he become such a coward about these things that he would fail her again? It was obvious she was breaking apart, and still he did nothing.

How small and alone she looked, standing on her trembling legs. He could barely make her out over the storm as she muttered to herself. "Can't…can't give up now. Neji…Lee…I need to be strong…stronger. To protect them. Protect them all."

His heart ached for her, his little wounded angel. His mischief. She had already suffered so much when they had met on the street that day so long ago, and how much she still resembled that broken hearted girl. He needed to find a way to make this right. Would she allow him, though, or would she simply smile her soft smile and tell him it was fine when it so obviously wasn't, like she was prone to do? Did it matter? He had to try.

A toss of a handful of Shuriken sent her pitching forward but Guy caught her before she could fall completely. Brown eyes blinked up at him slowly, the time it took her to recognize him being a worrying enough sign on its own. "Guy-sensei…what…Lee and Neji are still in the hospital, you shouldn't…"

Putting a finger to his lips he shifted her so he could easily lift her and started back towards the hospital. She would need rest, at least, probably more. "I apologize, my dearest flower, that it took me so long to see where I was needed most."

"Needed?" She laughed weakly, resting her head against his chest as if it would shield her from the rain. Her hair was falling out, hanging in thick strands around her face. "Sensei, I'm…fine. It's just been so long since…I trained, I…just…"

"You know it is alright to hurt, don't you?" He didn't want to hear her lie to him, he couldn't stand it. She was hurting, it was obvious, and why couldn't she let someone help her? "No more being strong, my little one. Not for now."

"But…" she shivered, her eyes closing. "The boys…they've been hurt…they need…"

"I'm here now, it's alright." He didn't know how, but he knew it would be. He would make it that way. All his children were alive and safe, and even if he had to retire to get a reprieve from missions so he could be with them, he would. He even had a few things to blackmail Tsunade with if need be. Whatever happened he would make this right.

Somehow, she smiled up at him, the strength slowly draining from her body. "I know. I missed you." She was asleep before the soft kiss landed on her cheek.


	13. GuyLee: Baby Booties

**A/N:** Hey, look, some Guy and Lee stuff. I DO acknowledge that these two have a special bond. I've had this in my head forever, and I'm sort of excited to try it out.

_**Curry of Love**  
GuyLee: Baby Booties_

It was probably Lee's favorite place in all of Konoha, greater even than the Academy roof or the training field he had managed to claim as his own. As a young boy he had stumbled upon this pond in the early spring, when a new family of ducklings had just been trying out their sea legs. He had come every day after that to lie on his stomach on the creaky old dock and watch the small yellow balls of fluff grow.

Maybe it was because of that strong association with childhood that Lee had come here to try and sort out the big tangled ball of emotion he'd become.

He'd known, sort of academically, for months now that his wife was pregnant. Hinata had told him as soon as she'd found out, and he'd watched with some fascination as Hinata's smooth belly began to swell a little in the front like a hill on the horizon. He'd been thrilled when Sakura had announced to them that they weren't just having one baby, but two, and picking out names that they liked from books and dictionaries had been a game he and Hinata had been enjoying for weeks now. It had all been just interesting and exciting until that morning, when he'd felt a little foot hit the palm of the hand he'd had resting on his wife's belly.

Suddenly, this wasn't as fun anymore. These children weren't just ideas or little figures he'd sketched on a page to look like their beautiful mother. Underneath, where he couldn't see, there were two tiny people with fingers, toes, eye lids and heartbeats. They had smiles and personalities and they were his.

It had really hit him then for the first time. These weren't babies he could play with for a little while and then send home. They had half his genes. It would be his responsibility to raise them to be polite, respectful, and strong. They were depending on him to teach them right from wrong, and how to help others, and what it meant to be a human ninja. They would need him to be an example, and a caretaker. A nurturer, provider, protector.

In short, everything he'd wanted but hadn't had growing up.

Lee had never known his father. He didn't even know who the man was. From what he'd managed to work out over the years, his mother had been very young when she'd gotten pregnant with him—only fifteen –years-old. When she'd told the father, he'd skipped town, disappearing from their lives forever and leaving his mother to work two jobs and look after him on her own.

Where was he even supposed to begin? Hinata had purchased shelves of books on how to be a good mother, but not one of them mentioned anything about what was expected of him other than to support her. At this point, though, what could he really do? He couldn't carry the baby for her, and she was starting to get exasperated with him going and fetching every little thing for her. When his attempt to make her lunch had resulted in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches stuck to the ceiling, Hinata had finally banished him outdoors for a little while.

Feeling rather like a child in time out, He had come here in search of answers and found nothing. Not even comforting baby ducks, though it was still early spring.

Heavy footsteps on the dock behind him caused Lee to half turn, and his eyes widened in surprise before he could manage a weak smile. "S-sensei! What are you doing here? You are supposed to be resting."

Not two months ago, their teacher had gone on a mission that had been nearly fatal for him. Lee had left Hinata behind, then just three months along, to spend several nights curled up in an uncomfortable chair by his teacher's bedside until it was clear he would pull through. Even then he had only recently been released from the hospital into the care of his still fairly new wife.

Guy waved him off, dropping down to sit beside his students as he slid out of his sandals. "Shizune says I'm doing much better, and it's good for me to get some fresh air."

"I see," Lee said quietly as Guy slid his feet into the water beside his former student. It looked like his teacher wasn't going anywhere for a while. "It is good that you are recovering so quickly, sensei. I have missed your guidance in my training."

Not that he did much training anymore. He still liked to keep his body in prime condition, to get stronger, but he was a taijutsu teacher at the Academy now, so he had homework to grade and lessons to plan. Sometimes training as rigorous as he liked fell by the wayside and that was only bound to get worse when the babies came. Unless, he realized with some anxiety, Hinata spend more time with them than him, and left him with more free time than he knew what to do with while she played the role of the fabulous mother she was born to be.

Having babies was suddenly starting to sound less and less fun.

A comfortable silence settled between them for a moment as Lee softly kicked his feet back and forth, sending small ripples around the pond. A breeze picked up, and his sensei seemed to take it as his cue to speak. "You look like you have something on your mind."

"Really?" Lee clenched his hands in his lap, smiling a little. Guy-sensei always had been able to read him like a book, able to tell without more than a thought when his smiles were faked. It took a moment before Lee could decide what to say, and he finally settled on, "Hinata vetoed my idea of naming the second one after you, if it is a boy. I do not think she meant any disrespect. I just do not think she likes your name. She has her heart set on Hinode for the first one."

"Well, I don't think my name works is as youthful with a different last name anyway." Guy chuckled, a far away look on his face. "I am honored you would think so highly of me as to want to name your child Guy."

Lee didn't know what to say, and this was probably the most awkward conversation Lee had ever had with his teacher. He should just be able to tell Guy-sensei what was bothering him. Shizune and Guy had had a child only a little over a year ago. Guy-sensei had been in this position, and surely would know what to do.

Except Lee could only remember his excitement over the coming baby. His instance that his team participate in every part of the preparation, because as 'older siblings' they had a right to, and the look of utter joy on his face when he'd held the heavily pregnant Shizune in his arms. Not once had he shown any of the fear Lee felt right now about just not being good enough. Usually it was so easy to share his feelings with the older Jounin, but right now he wasn't even certain what they were himself.

With a look of fondness that Lee was used to seeing only when his teacher started going on 'about the good old days when his students still needed him', Guy said slowly, "I remember when Shizune and I were making our list of baby names. It was difficult, because all of you had such good suggestions. Once we saw him, though, only your suggestion of Reiki seemed to fit."

The word itself had several meanings, but when Lee had stumbled on the obscure kanji meaning mysterious turtle it had jumped to the top of his list. It had been a thrill for him when his name choice was selected for his sensei's healthy young son.

"Until I saw him, I misunderstood a lot of things." Lee glanced up, looking at the older man fully for the first time. Guy was looking evenly back at him over the top of the glasses he'd now taken to wearing full time. "It wasn't until he was here that I realized what it really meant to have a baby. Taking care of you three and caring for Reiki are not the same at all."

It never failed to amaze him that Guy-sensei always knew exactly what Lee needed to hear. "Were you nervous?"

"Nervous?" Guy laughed heartily, clapping the younger man soundly on the back. "Lee, for the first time in my life I was terrified! Here was this little guy with my eyes, nose, and chin looking up at me like I knew what I was doing, and I didn't have a clue. It was ten times worse than receiving my team. With you, I knew how to be a ninja. I knew I could teach you the skills you needed to survive if you were willing to work to perfect them. I didn't even know the right way to prepare a bottle for Reiki. You could train on your own; he couldn't even lift his head. And so small in my hands…" Guy held them up as if to demonstrate, clenching and unclenching his fingers, "I could have so easily crushed him without meaning to. I didn't know what to do."

"You? But you seemed so calm!" Lee couldn't help feeling a little deceived, no matter how irrational it was. He'd always thought his sensei never hid anything he thought or felt.

"Did I? I thought for sure you must have seen my hands trembling." Guy grinned at him, putting an affectionate hand on Lee's head. "That's how you feel now, isn't it? Unsure of what to do with these tiny lives that in your hand?"

"What if I mess this up, sensei?" The words came out in a rush now, much like when he'd been a young boy. "It is not like at the Academy or every where else where there is someone to tell me if I am doing it right or not. There is no law to say how to raise them right. You just…you do it, and if I get it wrong there is no way to fix it. Worse, I will get it wrong twice over. They are going to come out small, and innocent, and perfect and I will be the one to mess it up."

"Ah, my poor Lee," Guy smiled at him, ruffling his hair a little. "Of course you will make mistakes. We all do. I made many with you as a team."

"No you didn't," Lee interrupted hotly, glaring at his sensei for even suggesting it. "You believed in us."

"And taught you things that it may have been best I wait to do, or not at all." The look on his teacher's face was deadly serious now. "You will make mistakes, and even when you try your hardest so will your children. They will suffer, and so will you watching them. But that is when you teach the most important thing of all—how to return to your feet and endure." Guy pulled him into a one armed hug while Lee stared, wide eyed. "That was what brought me comfort as I held Reiki for the first time. It was wisdom I learned from the three of you. Whatever else I may have done wrong, I had taught you the most important thing the best I could."

"You did very well, sensei!" Lee let himself be held in the hug for a moment longer before leaning back to grin at his teacher.

So he didn't have a father to learn from, maybe, but he had something better. Hadn't Guy-sensei always loved them unconditionally? He'd supported them and been safety for them when the world fell apart, as it often did. In recent years he'd tried being a little more his own person, allowing his hair to grow out and changing his clothes, but still he tried to emulate the example of the best man he had known. Why should that stop now?

"So, my still young student, are you hoping for two boys or two girls?"

"I think one of each sounds just right."


	14. Neji: Double Cherry

**A/N:** If anyone wants to argue with me that Hiashi is out of character here, go for it. I'm ready for you.

I've had this sitting on a drive that I lost for like...ever. Then, yesterday, I found it. Did some minor editing and wrote the last couple of paragraphs today.

On that note, I'm throwing an OC in here. And giving Hiashi and Hizashi's father a name. If you don't like OCs well…sorry. They are necessary to fill things out.

Title comes from Shakespeare's _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. It isn't actually about twins, but close enough. To save you the trouble of looking it up, it goes "…So we grew together/ Like to a double cherry, seeming parted/ But yet a union in partition, / Two lovely berries molded on one stem."

_**Curry of Love  
Double Cherry**_

Neji was all up for a good laugh every now and then, despite popular belief, but really enough was enough. If his obnoxious cousins, Daiki and Kin, thought they could get away with gluing all of his weapons to the table they'd been drying on, they had another thing coming. His retaliation, however, would not come in the form of something they could so easily dismiss, oh no. He was going to make absolutely sure that his Uncle put them on babysitting duty for a month. No, two. Two different months, so they wouldn't be together to plot. That sounded like the best idea.

With thoughts of his brilliant revenge distracting him, it wasn't until he turned down the hallway to his Uncle's office that he heard the raised voices. Neji knew, of course, that he should walk away. If someone was arguing with his uncle it really wasn't any of his business. In fact, it would probably be the safest thing for him to turn tail and head back the way he came.

"It's been almost ten years now, Hiashi." It was his grandfather, Hinoiri, speaking, and Neji picked up his pace. His grandfather put the purity of the Hyuuga line above almost all else, and was one of the loudest voices against integrating the two houses. "It's time to let Hizashi go. He wouldn't want you to live like this."

At the mention of his father's name, Neji froze, his heart suddenly ringing in his ears with fury. It had taken a while, but he'd finally gotten some of the people who had been there that night to confirm what the note told him. Even fill in some of the details. He knew now that it been his grandfather that suggested the body trade, against Hiashi's wishes. That he'd been so willing to trade one son for the other, with no remorse, and have the gall to say his name now made Neji's blood roar.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one to feel this way. "Don't you speak of him like you knew him at all." Hiashi's voice had a low, deadly quality to it that Neji could never remember having heard before. Not even when he'd been using the seal on his father—an event Neji found even more confusing now than he had in the past. There was something about his Uncle's voice that made it clear that if this conversation continued, someone would die. Frightening as that was, Neji found himself creeping closer instead of away, and slowly he peeked through the crack in the door, unwilling to activate his Byakugan and risk discovery with the chakra spike.

Hiashi was standing behind his desk, head held as high as ever and back just as straight. His anger was visible, however, in the way his fists were clenched on the desk's smooth top, and the firm set of his jaw.

Hinoiri was standing across from him, a diminished form when compared to the imposing figure his uncle created, with his dark hair now a dull grey and his eyes completely white. He'd retired from clan head once he lost his sight.

Much to Neji's surprise, there was also the large girth of his great uncle Hotaru, making his grandfather look even smaller. Hotaru was his grandfather's cousin, and had been the heir before he'd voluntarily given up the position and Hinoiri had taken his place. Easily in his seventies now, Hotaru had been forced into retirement by an injury to his leg that had decreased his mobility greatly, but not his appetite. He was the largest Hyuuga that Neji had ever seen—easily three or four times as wide as Neji himself was. How he fit through the compound doors was a mystery the young Hyuuga genius had resigned himself to never figuring out.

Hotaru's face was kind, but his voice stern, as he stepped forward. "Hiashi, we know you miss him. We all do, but you can't…"

"Do not tell me what I can and cannot do." Even from here, Neji could see his uncle's finger nails digging into his palms. "I am the head of the clan. I am the law here."

"They're mirrors," Hotaru continued, gesturing around him vaguely at the bare white walls. "I know we can see three hundred and fifty-nine degrees, but is that really justification for making it so no one in the whole compound can see themselves?"

That gave Neji something to contemplate in the ensuing silence. He hadn't ever really thought much about the absence of mirrors in the Hyuuga compound. As much as TenTen liked to tease him about the pride he took in his appearance, he really didn't care too much for looking at himself, and so he'd never really missed having a mirror around at home. Besides, he spent as little time in the compound as possible, so it's not like it affected him much.

Now that he thought about it, though, it seemed odd. He couldn't remember there ever being mirrors anywhere in the house. Not just mirrors, really, but any surface that was reflective. No shiny metals or glass at all aside from the windows—most of which were often kept shut. The only thing that came to mind was the koi pond in the gardens, and he'd never once seen his uncle out there even though Hinata and Hanabi spent most of their free time in them.

How had he not noticed this before?

"I've tolerated this nonsense for a decade," Hinoiri said gruffly, tapping his walking stick on the ground as if that would give him a return the authority he'd given up years ago. "I understand you miss him, but I insist this childish behavior stop now."

Neji shivered slightly as the temperature of the very air around him dropped into the icy range. "Do not pretend to me, Father, that you understand. You never have and cannot. It was you who insisted on placing Hizashi in the branch family. You who always emphasized the difference between us. You who came up with the ludicrous idea…"

"I told you then," his grandfather's tone matched his uncle's in loathing, "that is the Hyuuga destiny. That is why we have the branch house."

"It should have been me, we both know that. You could have killed me and removed my eyes yourself, for all it mattered. It was my mistake to pay for, not Hizashi's."

The regret and genuine sorrow in his uncle's voice made it suddenly difficult for Neji to remember how to breathe. He knew that pain. Knew the deep longing ache for what you wanted more than you wanted your heart to keep beating the next minute. Something, anything, to make the sick cold emptiness inside go away, if only for a moment.

That feeling he got every time he went to the Hyuuga shrine, knowing his father's ashes were not there among the ancestors. When he walked into the empty family quarters where he lived, and watching the parents of other children pick them up after school, kiss their bruises and cheer their accomplishments.

When he watched Lee and Guy-sensei together, laughing about some shared joke between them that only they understood.

How had he not noticed that same ache in his uncle before?

"I know it's hard to loose a sibling," Hotaru, ever the peace maker, said softly, "and I remember how close you and Hizashi were as children. It can't be easy for you, but it's been so long. They are just mirrors, and it's not like we're asking you to put one in here. Just to allow them again."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow in a look Neji was all too familiar with giving others. "And if I refuse?"

Neji watched his grandfather pull out a scroll and, with a strangled noise of frustration and a puff of smoke, a large mirror appeared in his hand. He watched as his grandfather placed it down on the desk so that Hiashi's reflection would be staring back up at him. It was fascinating to see how white his Uncle's face turned. "Hizashi is gone, and sooner or later you must accept this and move on."

Somehow the air around him seemed to weigh more than it had before, and Neji backed up a little to the room across the hall. It was empty this time of day, and he adjusted the door so it would hide him without blocking his view while whatever happened next unfolded. All he knew was that he didn't want to be visible while it did.

"Get out of my office," Hiashi's voice was quiet and hollow, echoing oddly in the corridor between them, "or I will have you both execute for planning to overthrow the clan."

Stunned silence, and then Hotaru spoke, voice less confident than before. "Hiashi, you can't be serious. This is a trivial matter…"

"My brother's death will never be a trivial matter." Hiashi's yell startled Neji enough that he winced. No matter the trouble he had caused the clan, this was the first time the young Hyuuga could ever remember his Uncle losing so much control. "The suffering I caused him will never be forgotten. The mirrors will remain down. Get out of my office."

"Hiashi," his grandfather tried again, stepping forward. Neji saw what was going to happen seconds before it did, but wasn't sure how to stop it. All he could think to do was stare, open mouthed, as Hiashi snatched the mirror from his desk and threw it between the two old men like a shuriken. It missed them both by millimeters, shattering into a hundred deadly shards as it hit the door.

"Get. Out."

In probably the first wise move Neji had witnessed, the two elders retreated from the room with low bows. As their footsteps faded into the maze of the house, Neji watched, transfixed, his uncle step out from behind his desk and drop to his knees among the shattered glass.

With trembling hands, the older Hyuuga began to pick up the shattered fragments of the mirror, collecting the large ones in a pile on his hand. To Neji's horror, he could see tears as fragile as the glass in his hands leaving small broken trails on his Uncle's face. There weren't many of them, but their very existence was upsetting enough.

"I'm sorry, Hizashi." It wasn't a sob, but there was a distinctly fractured feel to his Uncle's voice. "I am always sorry, for all of it."

He shouldn't be watching this. Neji knew it was an intensely private moment for his Uncle, and his very presence just felt wrong. The thing was, he couldn't bring himself to leave, either.

How many times had he dreamt of scaring his uncle in some way, changing his face, so he wouldn't see his father staring back at him every time the older man looked his way? How often had he wished his death and ruin because that was his brother and he never seemed to care a bit that he was gone? That he never showed any emotion about it, and had not even attended Hizashi's funeral?

This was someone that was hurting as much as Neji ever had. The grief, still raw and bleeding, was evident in every move and every stray tear that managed to squeak passed now that he thought no one was watching. And Neji wondered; had his Uncle ever wanted to change Neji's own face, so he would look less like what he had lost? Had he ever resented the fact that Neji could display his hurt so openly, while he had to maintain what had cost him most dear?

Small droplets of blood splashed against the floor, tiny rivers forming from small cuts his Uncle didn't seem inclined to acknowledge. They weren't much, or life threatening, but Neji knew they must sting anyway. Altogether, Hizashi was quite a pitiable sight. Such a far cry from the terror of Neji's childhood, and the powerful leader he was revered as.

Right now, it seemed to Neji, he was just a lonely and broken man.

Stealing himself for any possible reaction to what he was about to do—up to an including his possible death for so far overstepping his bounds—the fourteen-year-old stepped forward silently until he was standing in front of his Uncle. Neji could see himself, looking just a little pale, reflected in his Uncle's eyes as he knelt down and picked up a few pieces of the shattered mirror too.

"I'll help you."


End file.
